Initiating legal action against Asus last week, toymaker Hasbro claimed in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court that the launch of the Transformer Prime tablet device by the electronic maker underscored the hijack of one of its trademarks.

Accusing Asus of having blended the `Transformers' and Optimus Prime names to create confusion, Hasbro said in a statement to PaidContent that Asus was seemingly banking on the association of the new tablet with children's toys --- a strategically planned move to find ready market for the Transformer Prime.

Drawing attention to Autobot leader Optimus Prime, Hasbro has termed the use of the `Transformer Prime' name by Asus as a clear cut case of stealing; and is seeking damages as well as a ban on the sales of the Asus tablet.

The `specific actions' which Hasbro has initiated against Asus are an upshot of the fact that even though the 10.3-inch Transformer Prime tablet does not undergo any paranormal transformation to get converted into a massive robot, the connection of the device to an optional keyboard dock does change it into an Android-powered laptop.

Noting that Hasbro protects its brands and products aggressively, the toymaker said in its statement to PaidContent that the legal route which it has recently taken against Asus marks yet another case that highlights Hasbro's "willingness to pursue companies who misappropriate our intellectual property for their own financial gain."