Trademark/Altered names

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In order to retain trademark on character names, sometimes Hasbro and Takara will strengthen their claim by adding prefixes or suffixes to a character name, changing its spelling, or both.

Hasbro

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  • Acid Storm: Seeker Acid Storm (following several years of toys simply named "Acid Storm"!)
  • Airwave: Decepticon Airwave
  • Apex: Autobot Apex
  • Blackjack: Decepticon Blackjack
  • Blackout: Decepticon Blackout (following several years of toys simply named "Blackout"!)
  • Blades: Autobot Blades, Blades the Copter-Bot, Blades the Flight-Bot, Protectobot Blades (also used as part of prefixes for other characters' toys, such as "Battle Blades Optimus Prime" or "Night Blades Sideswipe")
  • Blast Master: Autobot Blast Master
  • Blast Off: Decepticon Blast Off
  • Blaster: Autobot Blaster
  • Blot: Terrorcon Blot
  • Bludgeon: Decepticon Bludgeon, Comic Universe Bludgeon
    • 2001 Robots in Disguise Bludgeon was officially named "Destructicon Bludgeon", with an individual ™ claim after each word, which at least technically means that Hasbro still claimed "Bludgeon" as a trademark by itself in 2003.
  • Bombshell: Insecticon Bombshell; briefly went back to simply "Bombshell" from 2015 until 2023
  • Brawl: Decepticon Brawl, Deep Desert Brawl, Desert Blast Brawl; briefly went back to simply "Brawl" from 2015 until 2018.
    • "Brawl" has also used as part of multi-pack names such as "Freeway Brawl", "Back Road Brawl", "Desert Ruins Brawl" and "Streetside Bot Brawl", of which only the third actually includes a "Brawl" character.
  • Breakaway: Autobot Breakaway
  • Bruticus: Predacon Bruticus, Bruticus Maximus, Decepticon Bruticus; back to simply "Bruticus" as of 2015
  • Camshaft: Autobot Camshaft
  • Chase: Autobot Chase (only for the instructions of early Titans Return Roadburn samples), Chase the Police-Bot, Chase the Dino Protector
  • Chop Shop: Decepticon Chop Shop (only two years after the release of a toy simply named "Chop Shop"!)
  • Cloudburst: Autobot Cloudburst (used on the cardback of Power of the Primes Prime Master Micronus)
  • Cosmos: Autobot Cosmos
  • Countdown: Autobot Countdown
  • Cutthroat : Terrorcon Cutthroat
  • Deathsaurus: Decepticon Deathsaurus, Dessaras (unreleased), Dezarus
  • Devastator: Constructicon Devastator, Devastator Showdown, Destruction Site Devastator, Autobot Assault Devastator; back to simply "Devastator" as of 2015.
  • Doubledealer: Decepticon Doubledealer
  • Drag Strip: Decepticon Drag Strip, Decepticon Dragstrip
    • The BotCon 2011 exclusive, released between these two uses, was simply named "Dragstrip", as one word.
  • Dropshot: Decepticon Dropshot
  • Fangry: Decepticon Fangry
  • Fasttrack: Decepticon Fasttrack
  • First Aid: Protectobot First Aid
  • Flamewar: Decepticon Flamewar; briefly went back to simply "Flamewar" from 2014 until 2022
  • Frenzy: Decepticon Frenzy
  • Full-Tilt: Decepticon Full-Tilt
  • Gears: Autobot Gears
  • Grapple: Autobot Grapple, Solar Storm Grappel (see notable/unusual cases for more)
    • The first one was misspelled as "Auotbot Grapple" in several instances on the Commemorative Series reissue's packaging; also used as part of "Grapple Grip Mudflap", which isn't a "Grapple" character; spelled "Grappel Grip Mudflap" on the European packaging.
  • Groove: Autobot Groove, Protectobot Groove
  • Ground Hog: Decepticon Ground Hog
  • Groundbuster: Decepticon Groundbuster (only two years after the release of a toy simply named "Groundbuster"!)
  • Growl: Decepticon Growl, Growl the K9-Bot
  • Guzzle: Autobot Guzzle
  • Hammer: Decepticon Hammer
  • Headstrong: Predacon Headstrong
  • Heatwave: Heatwave the Fire-Bot, Autobot Heatwave
  • Heavy Load: Decepticon Heavy Load
  • Hightower: Constructicon Hightower
  • Hoist: Hoist the Tow-Bot (only for the Rescue Bots character; all other toys are simply named "Hoist")
  • Hook: Decepticon Hook, Constructicon Hook
  • Hot Rod: Autobot Hot Rod
  • Hot Spot: Autobot Hot Zone, Protectobot Hot Spot
    • The ultimate real "Autobot Carblast" case - renaming "Hot Spot" into "Hot Zone" and adding an "Autobot" prefix - was used only once; the Titanium Series figure is simply named "Hot Zone" without a prefix.
    • Oddly, the Generations "GDO" figure's packaging, including the bio, consistently refers to him as "Protectobot Hot Spot", while the instructions identify him as "Hotspot™". Later figures consistently use the "Protectobot" prefix.
  • Hound: Autobot Hound, Tracker Hound
  • Hun-Gurrr: Terrorcon Hun-Gurrr
  • Jackpot: Autobot Jackpot
  • Jawbreaker: Terran Jawbreaker
  • Jazz: Autobot Jazz, Final Battle Jazz, Protoform Jazz, Battle Jazz, Freeway Jazz, Stealth Ninja Jazz (only released in Australia), Special Ops Jazz, Smooth Jazz
  • Knok: Autobot Knok, Decepticon Knok (the former is used for online retail listings of the Generations Selects Soundwave Spy Patrol 3rd Unit pack, while the latter is used for the instructions of said release)
  • Krok: Decepticon Krok
  • Kup: Autobot Kup, Sergeant Kup; back to simply "Kup" as of 2020
  • Leo Prime: Maximal Leo Prime
  • Long Haul: Constructicon Long Haul
  • Medix: Autobot Medix, Medix the Doc-Bot
  • Minerva: Autobot Minerva
  • Mirage: Autobot Mirage, Decepticon Mirage, G2 Universe Mirage, Holo Mirage (following several years of toys simply named "Mirage"!)
  • Motormaster: Decepticon Motormaster, The Motormaster
  • Nautilator: Decepticon Nautilator
  • Octane: Decepticon Octone
  • Overlord: Decepticon Overlord
  • Outback: Autobot Outback
  • Peacemaker: Autobot Peacemaker
  • Pipes: Autobot Pipes
  • Piranacon: Decepticon Piranacon
  • Pointblank: Autobot Pointblank
  • Pounce: Decepticon Pounce
  • Powerglide: Autobot Powerglide
  • Quake: Decepticon Quake
  • Rampage: Predacon Rampage, Constructicon Rampage
  • Ratchet: Autobot Ratchet, Rescue Ratchet, Rescue Torch Ratchet, Desert Tracker Ratchet, Night Ops Ratchet, Specialist Ratchet
  • Ravage: Battle Ravage, Command Ravage; back to simply "Ravage" as of 2007
  • Rewind: Autobot Rewind
  • Rippersnapper: Predacon Rippersnapper, Terrorcon Rippersnapper
  • Roadbuster: Autobot Roadbuster, Track Battle Roadbuster
  • Rook: Protectobot Rook
  • Rumble: Decepticon Rumble, Demolition Rumble (unreleased)
    • "Rumble" has also been used as part of multi-pack names such as "Rotorwash Rumble" or "Hunters Rumble" that don't actually include a "Rumble" character, and as part of a prefix for Activators redecos, "Rally Rumble Bumblebee" and "Rally Rumble Optimus Prime".
  • Sandstorm: Decepticon Sandstorm, Predacon Sandstorm
  • Scavenger: Constructicon Scavenger (following several years of toys simply named "Scavenger"!)
  • Scoop: Autobot Scoop
  • Scorponok: Predacon Scorponok (only for the Beast Wars and Rise of the Beasts characters)
  • Scrapheap: Junkion Scrapheap
  • Scrapmetal: Constructicon Scrapmetal
  • Scrapper: Decepticon Scrapper (Classics Constructicon Devastator giftset only), Constructicon Scrapper
  • Seawing: Decepticon Seawing
  • Shockwave: Decepticon Shockwave, Senator Shockwave (following several years of toys simply named "Shockwave"!)
  • Shrapnel: Skrapnel; back to "Shrapnel" as of 2023
  • Sights: Autobot Sights
  • Silverstreak: Autobot Silverstreak
  • Sixshot: Six Shot
  • Skar: Decepticon Skar, Dinobot Scarr
  • Skids: Autobot Skids, Missile Blast Skids, Offroad Skids, Tuner Skids
  • Slammer: Autobot Slammer
  • Slicer: Decepticon Slice (only on his bio card; the polybag packaging calls him "Slicer")
  • Sludge: Dinobot Sludge
  • Snaptrap: Decepticon Snap Trap (the name itself also spelled as two words)
  • Snapdragon: Decepticon Snapdragon
  • Snarl: Dinobot Snarl (following several years of toys simply named "Snarl"!)
  • Springer: Autobot Springer (all toys except for the Voyager Class figure featured in the Target-exclusive 2008 Universe two-pack)
  • Star Saber: Autobot Star Saber
  • Streetwise: Protectobot Streetwise
  • Strika: Alpha Strike (only for the Cyberverse character; all other versions are named "Strika")
  • Stylor: Autobot Stylor
  • Sunbeam: Decepticon Sunbeam
  • Sweep: Decepticon Sweep
  • Swoop: Dinobot Swoop
  • T-Wrecks: Maximal T-Wrecks
  • Tailgate: Autobot Tailgate
  • Tarantulas: Predacon Tarantulus (using the spelling "Tarantulus" only once), Predacon Tarantulas
  • Tentakil: Decepticon Tentakil
  • Throttle: Autobot Throttle
  • Topspin: Autobot Topspin, Autobot Armor Topspin; back to simply "Topspin" as of 2020
  • Tracks: Autobot Tracks, Turbo Tracks
  • Vortex: Decepticon Vortex
  • Venom: Venin
  • Wedge: Wedge the Construction-Bot
  • Whirl: Autobot Whirl, Whirl the Flight-Bot
  • Wheelie: Autobot Wheelie
  • Wildrider: Decepticon Wild Rider
  • Wingthing: Decepticon Wingthing
  • Zigzag: Decepticon Zigzag

Exceptional changes for names previously not used for toys

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Unusual one-off name changes not required for concurrent/subsequent toys

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  • All of the Combiner Wars Constructicons from the Devastator giftset have a "Constructicon" prefix even though only Hook and Scavenger would need them, likely done for consistency across the team. The Vintage G1 reissue of the Constructicons gives only the aforementioned Hook and Scavenger prefixes, as the original Generation 1 Devastator giftset never attached prefixes to the Constructicons' names. Though not part of a giftset, the Studio Series Constructicons all have the prefix as well.
  • Firestrike: "Autobot Firestrike" only for the Bot Shots toy; the Kre-O Kreon was simply named "Firestrike", and Hasbro also used the name without a prefix for their Nerf line.
  • Flak: "Autobot Flak" only for the 2010 Transformers toy; both BotCon 2009 Flak (released a year earlier) and Dark of the Moon Cyberverse Flak (released a year later) were simply named "Flak" without a prefix.
  • Grimlock:
    • "Dinobot Grimlock" only for the Power of the Primes Voyager Class toy, likely for consistency with the rest of the Dinobots. It should be noted that each word has an individual ® claim ("Dinobot® Grimlock®") rather than the name being one compound trademark.
    • "Maximal Grimlock" only for the War for Cybertron: Kingdom figure.
  • Inferno: "Predacon Inferno" only for the Transformers: Legacy toy, presumably to distinguish him from the Generation 1 Autobot of the same name.
  • Ironhide: "Autobot Ironhide" only for the Studio Series SS-15 toy; the War for Cybertron: Siege figure was simply named "Ironhide" without a prefix.
  • Leadfoot: "Classic Leadfoot" only for the Dark of the Moon rerelease of his Speed Stars toy, presumably to distinguish him from the Dark of the Moon Wrecker of the same name.
  • Megatron: "Megatron (Beast)" only for the War for Cybertron: Kingdom toy, presumably to distinguish him from his namesake.
  • Optimus Prime: "Autobot Optimus Prime" for a single release of the Movie Voyager Class toy with "battle damage" deco that was only available in Asia and from US-based online retailers. In this case, the "Autobot" prefix was probably only intended to distinguish this release from all the numerous other "Optimus Prime" toys from the Movie line.
  • Reverb: "Decepticon Reverb" only for the unreleased Target exclusive Movie Scout (intended to be released in 2008). Cybertron Reverb (who had his last toy released in 2006, as part of the Shadow Recon Mini-Con Team), Revenge of the Fallen Reverb (2009) and Dark of the Moon Human Alliance Reverb (2011) were all simply named "Reverb", without a prefix.
  • Sideways: "Decepticon Sideways" for a Toys"R"Us exclusive Revenge of the Fallen two-pack with Wheelie that was released in Europe. Presumably, this was simply because "Decepticon Sideways" sounds better together with "Autobot Wheelie" than a mere "Sideways" without the prefix.
  • Sinnertwin: "Terrorcon Sinnertwin" for the instructions of all five Power of the Primes Terrorcons, but his own packaging and card render his name with no prefix.
  • Skywarp: "Maximal Skywarp" only for the War for Cybertron: Kingdom toy, presumably to distinguish him from the Generation 1 Seeker of the same name.
  • Strafe: "Dinobot Strafe" for some Age of Extinction toys; the majority of them, however, are simply named "Strafe" without a prefix.
  • Wheeljack: "Autobot Wheeljack" for the KB Toys exclusive "G1" Spy Changer... but only on the cardbacks of the entire Spy Changer lineup. On the front side of his own card, he was simply named "Wheeljack", without a prefix. Since then, multiple "Wheeljack" toys have been released without a prefix.
  • All Deluxe and Voyager figures from the War for Cybertron Trilogy toyline use faction prefixes.
  • All other prefixes used for same-character redecos and retools of toys that didn't require a prefix for their original release.

Cosmetic prefixes that don't actually allow Hasbro to use a trademark

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  • Erector was referred to as "Autobot Erector" for his 2011 Hall of Fame nomination bio. As the word "Erector" in the domain of toys is thoroughly trademarked by [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Meccano Ltd|{{#if:||Meccano Ltd}}]] for [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Erector Set|{{#if:||Erector Set}}]] construction toys (they even own it specifically for toy robots!), this was something of an empty gesture, as putting "Autobot" in front of his name wouldn't actually allow Hasbro to use that trademark in the field of toys. (Granted, a write-up on a webpage isn't actually something that you can trademark...)

TakaraTomy

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Japanese trademark law has apparently changed in recent years, in a way very similar to American trademark law. As a consequence, TakaraTomy also started using prefixes with one of the last Transformers Collection reissues, followed by several more cases in Henkei!.

TakaraTomy's versions of the Movie, Revenge and Darkside Moon toy lines used the same names as their Hasbro counterparts for the most part, including "Autobot" and "Decepticon" prefixes for a lot of names (though Skids, Springer and Devastator didn't require "Autobot" or "Constructicon" prefixes). However, TakaraTomy also added more prefixes for toys whose Hasbro versions didn't have prefixes (or, in one case, for giving a redeco a Generation 1-based Hasbro name that is unavailable to Hasbro altogether). This usually only applies to listings of these toys by online stores and in Japanese hobby magazines in katakana. For toys with Hasbro counterparts, the English names on the packaging were unchanged from the Hasbro versions.

With Transformers Animated and Transformers United, TakaraTomy once again mostly followed Hasbro's naming choices (although Animated Bulkhead and Ironhide were renamed into "Ironhide" and "Armorhide", respectively, and the United version of Straxus was released under that name rather than Hasbro's substitute name "Darkmount"). Once again, some names featured more prefixes that either were not required by or differed from their Hasbro counterparts. On the toys' packaging, the names were spelled with those prefixes both in English and in katakana.

  • Barricade: Decepticon Barricade, Interrogator Barricade, Barricade & Frenzy
  • Blazemaster: Autobot Blazemaster
  • Blurr: Autobot Blurr
  • Booster X10: Decepticon Booster X10
  • Brakedown: N.E.S.T. Scout Brakedown
  • Brawl: Decepticon Brawl, Electronic Brawl (only toys from the 2007 Movie line; the Encore reissue of the Generation 1 toy and the 2010 EZ Collection toy of the movie character were simply named "Brawl")
  • Breakaway: Autobot Breakaway
  • Breakdown (same katakana spelling as "Brakedown"): War Breakdown, Silas Breakdown, Zombie War Breakdown
  • Bumblebee: New Bumblebee, World War II Bumblebee, Rusty Bumblebee
  • Cheetus: Cybertron Cheetus
  • Firebolt: Autobot Firebolt
  • Grapple: Autobot Grapple
  • Hook: Decepticon Hook
  • Hot Rod: Cybertron Hot Rod
  • Inferno: Cybertron Inferno
  • Jazz: Autobot Jazz
  • Knock Out: Autobot Knock Out, Medic Knock Out, Bloody Knock Out
  • Kup: Autobot Kup
  • Laserwave: Destron Laserwave
  • Lockdown: Decepticon Lockdown, N.E.S.T. Lockdown
  • Longarm: Autobot Longarm
  • Lugnut: Decepticon Lugnut
  • Mixmaster: Decepticon Mixmaster
  • Octone: Destron Octone
  • Overload: Decepticon Overload
  • Perceptor: Cybertron Perceptor, Autobot Perceptor
  • Power Up VT6: Decepticon Power Up VT6
  • Rampage: Decepticon Rampage
  • Ratchet: Autobot Ratchet, Desert Tracker Ratchet, N.E.S.T. Autobot Ratchet (only toys from the 2007 Movie and Revenge lines; Henkei Ratchet, Animated Ratchet and Darkside Moon toys are simply named "Ratchet")
  • Runabout: Decepticon Runabout
  • Runamuck: Decepticon Runamuck
  • Scrapmetal: Decepticon Scrapmetal
  • Scourge: Decepticon Scourge
  • Sentinel: Autobot Sentinel (exceptional as he's missing his Hasbro counterpart's "Prime" suffix)
  • Shockwave: Decepticon Shockwave (only the Animated toy; the Darkside Moon toy is simply named "Shockwave")
  • Sling: Cybertron Sling
  • Streak: Cybertron Streak
  • Sunstorm: Decepticon Sunstorm
  • Swerve: Autobot Swerve
  • Swoop: Autobot Swoop
  • Thunderwing: Decepticon Thunderwing
  • Tracks: Autobot Tracks
  • Vorter: Destron Vorter
  • Vortex: Decepticon Vortex
  • Wheelie: Autobot Wheelie (only the Revenge character; Henkei Wheelie is simply named "Wheelie")
  • Wildrider: Stuntron Wildrider, Stunt Wildrider (previously announced as "Stunticon Wildrider")
  • Wipe-Out: Decepticon Wipe Out
Since "N.E.S.T." was used as a standard prefix for the TakaraTomy counterparts of the N.E.S.T. Global Alliance subline imprint including toys whose names definitely didn't require a prefix (such as "N.E.S.T. Alliance Bumblebee" or "N.E.S.T. Recon Ironhide"), it's hard to say whether "N.E.S.T. Brawn", "N.E.S.T. Bludgeon", "N.E.S.T. Dirge", "N.E.S.T. Scattorshot", "N.E.S.T. Mindwipe" and "N.E.S.T. Skystalker" required the prefix for trademark reasons or not. The only certain cases were names that had previously required a different prefix (Animated "Decepticon Lockdown") or had a particularly clunky prefix ("N.E.S.T. Autobot Ratchet", "N.E.S.T. Scout Brakedown").

For the Device Label line, which falls into a different product category than "toys", TakaraTomy also needed prefixes for some names:

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