We are all grateful for Hasbro (even though we sometimes don’t like to admit it). Its toys and films have kept many of us amused for longer than we care to remember. A sizeable proportion of us were around the first Transformers came out, while many of us are ‘Johnny come latelys’ to the toys.

Whether we’re old hats to Transformers or new to the toys, one thing that has always been around is the ‘knock off’. While many knock offs are interesting at best, some forms of knock off are the worst kind – knocks offs of a name or brand. Asus Computer International has elected to use the great name for its tablet. We can understand why Hasbro has resorted to legal action in an effort to keep its trademark special.

Asus Computer International may not be the most creative company the world has ever seen. A tablet could be called by a diversity of names. They seem to feel that there would be no possibility that their tablet could clash with a mere toy. To potentially infringe the trademark of a company is clumsy; to appear contemptuous of the fine product of another company is careless. Regardless of the outcome of the case, Asus Computer International has not been very careful with its reputation management.

Fans of Transformers do not wish Asus Computer International any harm. However, it would be pleasant if they adopted a more conciliatory attitude towards Hasbro. Hasbro has worked hard to create brand recognition and Asus Computer International should appreciate that.

When you’re opening and playing with your Transformers on Christmas morning perhaps you should spare a thought for the people who put them together, if a new report on the working conditions in one of Hasbro’s factories in China is anything to go by.

According to the report, published by GlobalLabourRights.org, the conditions in Hasbro’s factory leave a lot to be desired. The report is entitled ‘Holidays by Hasbro, Transformers from Hell’ and is 40 pages of condemning documentation and photographs about the conditions. The report states that workers are fed on food that is described as ‘pretty much like swine food’, they sleep in rat infested dorms, work 12 hour shifts at peak times and all for the equivalent of 92 Cents per hour.

The report also states that emergency exits are kept locked, and there are no fire drills.

Perhaps the worst of the highlights is that workers need to ask permission to use the bathroom, are not allowed to even look up and are searched three times a day (presumably in case they try to pinch Transformers).

Possibly the most worrying thing to come out of this news is that a lot of Transformers fan sites have refused to publish this story and, according to one source, IDW has refused to allow discussion of the news on its website. It seems that Hasbro has a lot of power, and to many this news is just too disturbing to mention.

The executive summary is below, and you can read the full report here.

Executive Summary

Jet Fair sweatshop in China produces Hasbro’s Transformers

• Workers housed in filthy, over-crowded dorms, infested with rats and bed bugs. Workers report they cannot sleep at night from the bed bug bites.
• Workers describe factory food as “Pretty much like swine food.”
• Workers allowed less than 9 minutes to assemble each Hasbro Transformer, for which they are paid 17 cents.
• “We are drenched in sweat,” workers say. Factory temperatures soar to 104 degrees F in summer.
• During peak season, workers toil 12-hour shifts, seven days a week, while earning a take-home wage of just 92 cents an hour.
• Workers undergo three body-searches each day, are not permitted to talk or lift their heads to look around, and need permission to use the bathroom.
• Hasbro is open to the hiring of 14 and 15-year-olds on a “case-by-case basis.”
• Workers in the spray paint department fear they are being exposed to dangerous solvents.
• There are no fire drills and some emergency exits are locked.
• During the slow season, hundreds of workers are fired under false charges so management does not have to pay their legal severance.
• Workers are cheated of paid sick leave and maternity leave.
• Workers describe their work as mindless, miserable, constantly monotonous, yet furious and exhausting.