@kassarc16  
And just as a known example, the episode segment “Please Please Pleese Get a Life Foundation” from Animaniacs borrows nearly word for word the online reference guide that was out at that time. But they did ask the fandom if it was ok to use some of those statements despite the fact they’d likely not have gotten sued for using them.

@kassarc16  
This is why they have a “we don’t read fanfic” policy. If they happen to hid an idea that matches a fic, they have legal protection that they weren’t inspired by it and can run with it from there.
 
The things like Lyra/Bon-Bon pairings, Derpy’s muffin obsession, etc. are highly generic, but like if they decided to run with “Lyra wants to be human” gags, they would probably need that clause.
 
And while yes the same legal “protection” that protects fanworks from being considered copyvios, there’s still the fact Hasbro probably doesn’t want to even see a courtroom over the possibility that the writers borrowed from the fanfic world, and thus put such policies in place. (It’s a similar concept as patents - the less you know about what your competitors are doing, the more likely you can claim immunity that you were unaware when developing competing patents).

@kassarc16
 
Well if you’re going to have a problem with fanwork in general, then you’re probably on the wrong site.

@Masem  
That brings up another problem: Any potential idea the fans come up with hurts the ability of the writers to include something similar even if they had no knowledge of the fan-idea.
 
However, the copyright thing seems stupid as fan are already using works that they don’t own. If the person who came up with the Discord/Fluttershy idea took offense, Hasbro would just tell them to drop it or they’d C&D any of the persons MLP work.

@kassarc16  
From the standpoint of the show runners, they ‘‘have’’ to be careful, because if anything deeply fanon gets into their work, there may be copyright violations.
 
What has been added can pretty much be consider a skimming of what rises to the top from the fandom that is rather obvious without going any deeper. The popularity of Derpy and her favorite food choice, the Doctor Whooves stuff, the Lyra-Bon-Bon pairing. There’s no deep stories to any of these elements so their inclusion is just a nice tip of the hat.
 
But they can’t go farther. I know they’ve said it but it should be obvious they can’t read fanfics (this is true from other shows, not just MLP), so if the show pulls something that seems to have been done in a fanfic, they have protection against claims of copyvio to that. The best example is the episode “Keep Calm and Flutter On” since the core idea - Fluttershy and Discord living together - came from a fan and they gave him a by-line on the show to avoid any copyright problems (among other reasons).

@Zennistrad  
Ironically, if they had never done more than that in the show itself, I’d have much less problem.
 
And as to why I dislike fanon being canon is that there’s plenty of fanon I hate out there, and that doesn’t belong in the show, and even adding stuff I don’t mind opens the door to the legitimizing of the stuff I don’t like.

@kassarc16
 
Including a brief cameo of a fan-favorite background pony is not “overt” or “bad,” nor does it “compromise artistic integrity.”
 
Besides, it doesn’t make sense to enjoy fanon but not enjoy it when it’s actually incorporated into the show.

@Zennistrad  
It’s bad to do it overtly, yes. And using bad things to do so, yes. And compromising the integrity of their vision to do so is also bad.

@kassarc16
 
How?
 
No, seriously, it’s somehow bad for the writers to acknowledge that the people who support them exist?

@Background Pony  
It’s worse.

@kassarc16  
Is it still a problem if the animators put it in because they like it, rather than because bronies like it?

@Zennistrad  
Part of the problem.

@kassarc16
 
And I still fail to see how that is a bad thing.

@Zennistrad  
Crossover is not incorporating and legitimizing fanon.

@ExtremeLurkerHomeEdition  
Have you forgotten that i am all about illusions?

@Zennistrad  
That is flawed reasoning. You cannot say you don’t give a shit if you reply to them no matter how deadpan serious you are.
 
Clearly what they said mattered enough to give a rebuttal. If you really didn’t give a shit you wouldn’t reply at all.

@ExtremeLurkerHomeEdition
 
yes

Children wanted it to be played again.
 
Dawww.

@King Sombra  
Name is sombra, looks like discord, clearly must be chrysalis.

@Masem  
Meanwhile at Hasbro:  

@ExtremeLurkerHomeEdition
 
I know. I just love taking everyone on the internet completely deadpan serious.
 
It’s by far the most effective form of counter-trolling IMO. Trolls think they’re getting the better of me, but as I calmly point out the flaws in their argument they get more and more desperate to aggravate me, but they can never get me to give a shit.
 
It’s amusing to watch people get more an more persistent in trolling me when I don’t give a shit whatsoever about what they’re trying to say.

So, basically the before + after reactions to a Canterlot Wedding from the bronies?

@Zennistrad
 
YES IT IS. AND I MAD >:(

@Zennistrad  
psst…pretty sure he was joking, bro.

@gg666
 
So by that logic, is having Mega Man in Smash Bros. is pandering to Mega Man fans.