The battle of the Bumblebees is over.
Hasbro and DC Comics have settled a trademark lawsuit, in which the Transformers toymaker sought to block sales of a Mattel doll based on the DC superhero Bumblebee, a teenage girl with the ability to shrink. Hasbro sued DC and Warner Bros. last year, arguing that consumers might confuse the doll with its own Bumblebee, the yellow Autobot.
Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. A spokesman for Warner Bros. declined to comment. A spokesperson for Hasbro did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hasbro had a lot of toy sales riding on the dispute, as Paramount is set to release “Bumblebee” — a Transformers spinoff — on Dec. 21.
The DC Comics character actually predates the Hasbro character, having been introduced in the “Teen Titans” comic series in 1977. DC Comics and Warner Bros. revived the character in 2015, when they launched the DC Super Hero Girls franchise. At the time, Mattel began selling a Bumblebee action figure and a Lego set based on the character.
Hasbro introduced its Bumblebee in 1983, and obtained a trademark on the Bumblebee name in 2015.
Judge Lorna Schofield, of the Southern District of New York, ordered the case dismissed on Wednesday upon receiving a settlement notice from DC’s attorneys.
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