Monster Energy clashed with Pokemon for using the word ‘monster’
Monster Energy recently lodged a trademark dispute against an indie game developer for using the word “monster” in their title, and it turns out the company has a history of going after pretty much everyone who uses the word – even The Pokemon Company. GamesRadar’s Austin Wood dug a bit deeper into Monster’s litigious tendencies and discovered the energy drink maker once filed a dispute against Game Freak and The Pokemon Company in Japan for using “monster” in the series’ title and tried the same with Capcom as well.
In the complaint, Monster expressed concern over consumers confusing the two brands, which seems to be a standard line issued in every complaint Monster files. Why the company waited 12 years after its founding – and nearly 20 years after Pokemon became an international sensation – to suddenly grow concerned about consumers confusing Monsters and Pokemon is unclear, but the Japanese officials who read the case didn’t buy it.
They rejected the claim on the basis that there was no reasonable chance anyone would think Pokemon and Monster Energy originated from the same source or were the same product. They also pointed out that Monster provided no evidence to support their claims.
The company filed an identical complaint against Capcom, alleging that Monster Hunter Cross violated Monster Energy’s trademark, and received an almost identical response.
That’s all well and good for multi-million dollar international companies who can afford to put overly litigious companies in their place. Others, like Monster’s latest target Glowstick Entertainment, risk spending thousands just to fight for the right to use a word that literally nobody owns.
