Monster Energy Harass Game Devs & Indies Who Use The Word "Monster" By Abusing Trademark Complaints

[@YongYea]

- Go to buyraycon.com/yongyea for 15% off your order, plus get free domestic or flat fee international shipping. Brought to you by Raycon. - The law shouldn't allow companies like Monster Energy to constantly harass game devs by constantly abusing trademark with baseless complaints. They don't own the word Monster, nor a green/white color combo for logos, nor monster-esque logo shapes, nor should they be allowed to. PATREON: www.patreon.com/yongyea TWITTER: twitter.com/yongyea TOP PATRONS [CIPHER] - Devon B - Joseph Lavoie [BIG BOSS] - Jonathan Ball [BOSS] - Gerardo Andrade - Michael Redmond - Peter Vrba [LEGENDARY] - azalea - BattleBladeWar

[@capriciousart3466]

So true

[@vaniiler]

.

[@79thinline]

You probably realize this but you got monster hunter rather than energy in the title

[@Jetwinner02]

.

[@misterghoul9457]

Your title says hunter instead of energy

[@tyranitararmaldo]

Suing The Pokemon Company will prove to be a monster-sized mistake for this idiotic energy company.

[@salahmed2756]

What about Monster Inc?

[@Jack1994hoo]

Nintendo: Finally! A worthy oponent!

[@gameuniverse5973]

Am I crazy was pocket monsters not a thing before the monster energy drink was even sold

[@buccham6354]

@game universe yeah it always was pocket monsters in japan

[@Nihilisterplayzツ]

Good luck trying to sue the pokemon company this lawsuit is tax right off for them

[@FoxeralArt]

Lol, imagine asking your mom to pick you up some monster energy from the store and she comes home like “Oh no, I accidentally bought a copy of Monster Hunter Worlds” 😭

[@Jack1994hoo]

I mean, I wouldnt complain if she did

[@gamin9wizard945]

I purchased one can of monster energy in my life, and it really didn't taste well imo. Now knowing that they are doing that kinda BS, they ensured that I won't ever try a different flavour of theirs ever!

[@mariatelos]

I thought I just snagged GTA for only 2 dollars, now my PS5 is all sticky.

[@bearwithsunglassesandicecr5856]

Thanks mom

[@engoodenwojak918]

lol op cant even buy his own stuff without asking mummy

[@MultiDoom77]

I think if a company files frivolous lawsuits so many times they should lose the copyright/trademark as punishment.

[@luka188]

For real, accountability needs to be strictly enforced with unforgiving repercussions to put these btches back in line and put them on the leash they require in order to behave.

[@ichisichify]

​@Exhithronous yes

[@TheCursedCat1927]

@Exhithronous With Nintendo, those at least had some legal grounds. Monster is straight up just abusing their already-idiotic copyright (that I still can't believe got patented).

[@CrisisBlissey]

@Exhithronous I feel like you ignored the word "frivolous" in the original comment. Legal grounds definitely matter, at least for the context of this conversation.

[@TheCursedCat1927]

@Exhithronous That is true. I was just comparing both situations.

[@vinak963]

If they're not careful, they'll end up losing their trademark if they actually follow through with a lawsuit. A lawyer could file for trademark cancellation proceedings. Monster is far too generic and used in many contexts. They could also argue Monster Energy has done insufficient trademark enforcement. Unless they decide to send cease and desist letters or file actual suits against everyone (many/most) using the term "monster", they could lose their trademark. (which is probably why they issue complaints in the first place)

[@TojiChiba]

I was about to say. Aren't they doing trademark enforcement right now? They know it's pointless but they have to, if they don't want to lose it? I am not a legal expert, though.

[@johnmaco]

If that's the case, I think they should consider changing their brand name. Not necessarily radically but at least something less generic. Nobody thinks of the drink when we hear the word "Monster" anyway, let's be honest...

[@unknownbyself]

This reminds me of the time McDonald's tried to sue an Irish pub chain called Supermacs, saying it infringed on the "Big Mac" name. Not only did they not have a case, the judge was so incensed that they revoked McDonald's copyright on "Big Mac" in Europe, and now anyone can use it in advertising lol.

[@arx3516]

They could have avoided that by using a mispelled version of the word for their trademark, somenthing like "Monstyr" or "Monstrux".

[@The_Bird_Bird_Harder]

​​​@@TojiChiba They are a drink company. They are not at risk for losing their drink trademark. This is just frivolous. If there was another brand cropping up selling like 'Monster Pre-work out Energizing beverage', that'd maybe be an issue. But this is just obscene.

[@IceRuler]

If any of the companies actually fight back, Monster Energy is going to get straight up destroyed so much that they go bankrupt. And I actually think they should after doing something like this.

[@brimstonesulfur5013]

Boycott them

[@BlackangelKatakuri]

Monster energy drinks are disgusting anyway I say good riddance

[@talizorahnarrayya5916]

They really have guts to try and sue Nintendo who are champion of copyright. Nintendo once sued themselves.

[@DiaSynapsid]

Once Nintendo takes the push, everyone else will follow, and it's going to be all downhill for M.E.

[@SouthShayde]

Man, don't you just hate it when you reach for an energy drink and accidentally grab a 40-foot long dragon instead?

[@Sorrowdusk]

Jokes on you! I'm into that.🐉👋

[@kvjbreaker7054]

Lol

[@M0D776]

For me it was a blessing

[@rambofan334]

I swear that happens every week for me, It's annoying as hell.

[@TheDanmanimal]

“Oh no, this isn’t a Monster Energy Drink! This is a Gore Magala! Silly me mixing up the two…”

[@KenHeslip]

I want to see them take on Disney Pixar lawyers for "Monsters Inc". Disney would charge them for free advertising. 😂

[@songohan3321]

I want to see this, too. It will be a Monster Mash in more ways than one.

[@StCerberusEngel]

I want them to try and sue Toho. The fight of the century between two of the biggest copyright trolls on the planet.

[@gameuniverse5973]

@@StCerberusEngel Godzilla king of the monsters

[@gameuniverse5973]

@@StCerberusEngel Godzilla king of the monsters

[@Possiblekim]

They will know what kind of monster Mickey Mouse is.

[@Phirestar]

“It could be mistaken for Monster Energy.” Oh dear, the poor billion-dollar corporations...

[@EskChan19]

Those poor 25 million people who just wanted an energy drink but got maliciously tricked into buying a Nintendo Switch and Pokemon Sword or Shield instead. Obviously Monster has to put a stop to this!

[@nakano15]

Maybe they're furious because they tried to promote their energy drink, and people bought Death Stranding by accident.

[@NetBattler]

​@@EskChan19 😂

[@keeganmcfarland7507]

And that's why it's better to have a small soulful studio rather than a big shitty soulless corporation

[@DarkQueenHelba]

The feeling I get is that because “Gods and Monsters” changed to “Immortals Phinox Rising,” no matter the reason, gave Monster Energy the feeling that what they were doing was possible and they should continue with the law suits.

[@akaimizu1]

There's still Monster Train. a great indie game, and I hope they don't try to litigate them for trying to hit them with Lawyer's fees.

[@daviddesrosiers1946]

You'd think that in a recession, companies that make products people really can live without would be less obnoxious, but insanely they are getting worse.

[@SonnyFRST]

I'm no legal expert, but I'm pretty sure with this much of a track record they can be counter-sued for harassment. (hit them in the wallet until they learn their lesson)

[@joshuaedley5191]

I certiantly hope so they certianly should not be doing this on indie that dont have as much money to defend themselves.

[@kaidanardono2691]

The problem is no one wants to spend that kind of money suing a troll, and they know that. That's why they keep doing it, because they know they have the money for legal marathon while others see it as pointless. It's like a bunch of youtube pranksters running a company.

[@WaywardL80]

I’m not legally savvy either, but to any lawyers out there could this be construed as some form of tortious interference by interfering with (especially the Indies) their ability to publish? Love to see a good countersuit.

[@nowonmetube]

Ubisoft was scared, so....

[@ohnosmoarlulcatz]

@@kaidanardono2691 Monster Energy isn't a troll though. They're a legitimate business. However, if the future of your business depends on your brand, you will definitely defend it to the bitter end. Nintendo and Pokemon for example aren't going to let their $100 billion dollar franchise go without a fight.

[@stoffelthedestroyer3741]

Monster Energy needs to be punished and held accountable. This cringe Karen decision or publicity stunt can't be allowed to go unpunished.

[@Cosmoman78]

Punish them by boycotting their products.

[@angrydoggo7160]

It's an energy drink. It boycotts itself by tasting horribly.

[@Rohit.Gaikwad]

@@Cosmoman78 Stock Market 📈

[@0816M3RC]

@@Cosmoman78 The companies being sued by Monster Energy need to join together to retaliate them.

[@shadowcloud1994]

I think it's totally reasonable to sue. Just recently I wanted to buy an energy drink but actually came home with a copy of Pokemon sword and shield, which I thought was a new version of the energy drink. I only realised it when I started chewing. It's subtle but not only does the Pokemon game taste differently but it also has a completly different chew. Another difference was how I didn't need to cut it up. We all know that usually you need to cut up the monster energy drink first to get to the liquid sauce inside as the can is to large to fit into your mouth but with Pokemon sword and shield it was so small that it clearly wasn't the case. In fact there wasn't even any sauce inside. I simply can't stand for this trademark abuse. Monster Energy drinks are clearly the superior food, even if the can is slightly harder to prepare. Pokemon Sword and shield's only advantage is that you can swallow it in one gulp.

[@dakotacollis5123]

It is the year 2065 Every word in the English language has been copyrighted. Humanity is forced to constantly invent new languages, causing a rift in every day communities to whole countries.

[@ArynWellspring]

The scary part is, I kinda believe this will happen

[@Sorrowdusk]

They should abandon such language for Binary or Hexadecimal.

[@Spike2276]

Is this the plot for the next Metal Gear?

[@gameuniverse5973]

Nah i copyright and trademark humanity you have to say imanity instead

[@luka188]

Yeah, by that point people will collectively tell the copyright system to fck off and none of it can be enforced anymore, likely spelling the end for brand name copyrighting altogether somewhere in the next few decades.

[@ZeroXMachina1]

It’s really annoying when companies name themselves after vague, generic, or one-word concepts and then think it’s time to sue anyone who’s ever used those words. Brings back the Air & React controversies for a few years back.

[@theshadowcult]

They are not the only ones. There is a nightclub call Malus that forced a game called Malus to essentially get put on the shelf, like somehow people would confuse a small indie game with a small nightclub. A lot of companies are kind of insane.

[@Phirestar]

“I’m not gonna mistake a video game for fricken Monster Energy drink.” Well that’s just it, Yong: they think you’re actually that stupid. They really think you’re incapable of telling a difference. This is just an indirect admission of how Monster Energy (and a lot of other corporations, let’s be real) views their customers’ intelligence.

[@Jack1994hoo]

Me: *chewing on a copy of Pokemon Red* you mean this isnt the energy drink?

[@kvjbreaker7054]

Oh man, and here I was about to buy a case of lobster energy… What’s that? I spelt “mon…st…ar” wrong? I guess I wouldn’t know since I’m so stupid. In fact, I’m so stupid, that I might take my money and put it in my burger since it’s green like lettuce, so it must be lettuce. But why must one idiot enjoy a burger alone? I must find other idiots who had the dumbass thought of buying monster products, and show them how that money can be used to make food taste better. But why must we keep this to ourselves, we should find the executive board of “Mon…st…ir” energy and enjoy of money burgers in front of them. After all, we are so stupid and don’t know how to buy, think, or even spell…what was that word again… Oh yeah, “lobster”

[@jacktheflash8478]

@@Jack1994hoo lol

[@laurencefraser]

Nah, they don't think the Customer is that stupid, they think that they can convince the entity they're trying to extort that the judge/jury is that stupid so that they 'settle' rather than giving Monster Energy the kicking it deserves. ... Which is less difficult to do than it really should be, because much as it Should be complete nonsense, it isn't.

[@donutchan8114]

I work with incredibly stupid people, and even I think theyre not dumb enough to not know what a monster energy drink is. You'd have to never, ever have seen any marketing or product in your life and be fully illiterate to not know what it is. If anything energy drinks have very clear and distinct labeling and display set ups that would make it even more difficult to confuse the dumbest idiot with disposable income.

[@cot1579]

Pokémon being harassed by Monster Energy is like God being backtalked by some guy at 7-11. Like, unfathomably out of your depth here, Monster Energy

[@Sorrowdusk]

God should smite him for always being out of chili.

[@Dremag_Gaming]

Pretty much and since Poke Co makes sooo much $$ compare to their "pocket change". I think maybe they should sue the drink and have them change their name instead.

[@jesusramirezromo2037]

Monster is CocaCola, Both gaiants The thing is, Noone has fond memories of Monster for them to not loose customers over this

[@markoliver314]

Look up who owns monster bruh lol Coca-Cola dwarfs Nintendo ten fold

[@0816M3RC]

@@markoliver314 And? Suing Nintendo is still a tremendously bad idea.

[@sirlionheart4614]

Legends have it, if you go into the bathroom during the witching hour and turn the lights off and say Monster three times into the mirror you get sued by Monster Energy.

[@donovanjoseph737]

You turn the lights back on and you’re in a courtroom lol

[@fengthao3608]

Lol😂

[@falloutthewindowcrazy7608]

@@donovanjoseph737 OBJECTION!!!!!

[@Brasc]

Actually, legends say that if say Monster three times in any room, at any time, in any lighting, at any object whatsoever, you get sued by Monster Energy.

[@utgardaloki_skrymir]

Wow

[@Zpbrad]

i can imagine the lawyers getting the calls and just saying 'sigh... again with this' and putting the phone down or getting emails put into spam

[@RM_VFX]

According to Wikipedia, Monster Energy Started in April 2002. I remember seeing Pokemon on TV in the late 90s, pretty sure the game existed for awhile before that.

[@Rabbitlord108]

The first Pokémon games came out in Japan in 1996. The international release was 2 years later. So yeah 4 years earlier if going by the international release. 6 years going by OG release.

[@ReccaWolf]

Imagine an energy drink company that is so entitled they own the copyright word that people use nearly almost everyday, and suing the pants out of them. That’s going to be a monster mistake.

[@ohnosmoarlulcatz]

I mean the Fine Brothers tried to do this and look at how well that ended up for them

[@dinohermann1887]

I'm sure there was a lawsuit by a company known as "Edge Games" (who wanted to sue any video game company, that wanted to use the term "edge" on their games, like titles and stuff like that), that successfully prevented Namco from releasing "Soul Edge" in the west, so they were forced to change it to "Soul Blade".

[@tspawn35]

@@dinohermann1887 They weren't forced to change the name Namco just didn't want to deal with Tim Langdell and the US courts. They would have won but didn't want to spend the time or money needed to win so they opted to change the series to Soulcaliber to make sure they were left alone.

[@EJ_Red]

@@ohnosmoarlulcatz I remember being so into their content until then, glad I got out. Checked out how they were doing recently and found out they had to give away their company, and the videos they now release aren't that good.

[@陳嘉宇-y4q]

Disney tried to trademark an entire festival that exist over hundreds of years over a movie

[@Karloss00]

I just did a search on Steam for games with the word "Monster". It came up with 7,844 results, and of those results 327 of those games have the word "Monster" in their title. And that's just Steam, I'm sure Sony and Microsoft stores will have a few more games with the word in the title as well as GOG, Epic, EA stores too.

[@coryyoung7544]

War of the monsters and Godzilla: Destroy all monsters come to mind. Doubt any judge would let them go after Godzilla though.

[@Xport9]

Monster Energy will dug themselves in a hole, and bury themselves. These companies can be their potential sponsors, but they are closing their own doors.

[@gameuniverse5973]

There a popular manga series called monsters and Godzilla tag name is king of all monsters

[@Nihilisterplayzツ]

Monster energy will try to sue all those games and fail

[@CMTechnica]

Microsoft’s store parameters are actually pretty strict in terms of search results. If you search monster you’re getting 99% Monster Hunter related results, then whatever else has monster in the game, like Godzilla king of the monsters, etc. It doesn’t go off genres, oddly enough.

[@kingdomkreep]

my dad went through this exact problem when he wanted to do a line of tshirts that had to do with monsters playing pool ( he plays on a team) and once he tried to submit it to be able to sell they clapped at it and it thusly died on the vine and it only ever got as far as making some shirts he would wear himself or give to friends and such

[@MaxRovensky]

This is so moronic on so many levels One of them is the fact that any half decent trademark lawyer will tell you that it's not a valid complaint across industries that people will definitely never confuse

[@chronosoul1837]

Monster Energy should go after music labels that own songs with the word "Monster" in the names. I really wonder what would win that type of case.

[@michaelnelson1127]

Do they really think they can win against Skillet?

[@chronosoul1837]

@@michaelnelson1127 You didn't get the joke if you're asking that question.

[@admiralpepper6933]

​@@michaelnelson1127 Monster Energy really think they got what it takes to fight GOD.

[@gameuniverse5973]

@@chronosoul1837 Godzilla king of the monsters want to talk

[@faeb.9618]

i'd pay to see that with the sheer amount of songs that are even just titled monster

[@caedom21]

I hope Monster Energy gets lit up. I’ve stopped drinking Monster Energy because of this behavior.

[@popereptillianlord6174]

Every needs to go put recall signs on all the monster producs in their gas stations lmao

[@solblackguy]

I stopped drinking monster because it tastes like shit

[@gameuniverse5973]

@@popereptillianlord6174 who drinks monster get yourself a arizona instead

[@popereptillianlord6174]

@@gameuniverse5973 i havent had any energy drinks in like 15 years, arizona was always my go to lol

[@7gdnz]

Never liked monster energy drinks, tastes like medicine and too sweet

[@Makocat]

Rockstar already went after an indi comic creator over the copyright for using the word Rockstar in her webcomic "Rockstar Bunny", we can't be letting them get away with this. Also don't forget how King got the word "saga" just to slap it into Candy Crush for no reason.

[@famoussession7426]

I thought King was going after the word candy

[@TraaaaaasshBooooaaaatttt]

Didnt they lose that?

[@Shoyro]

@FamousSession they tried to get both "Candy" and "saga" copyrighted, but only successfully got just "Saga". The other was denied because of the fact the word was so commonplace and that it would have potentially disrupt too many businesses.

[@famoussession7426]

@@Shoyro well whoever said that clearly retired

[@VergilHiltsLT]

The same Monster Energy featured so proudly in Death Stranding? How dare they?

[@kuroryuken]

Now I feel like making an Indie game called "Haunter" with a Black, Light Yellow, and Teal Runic Logo focused on terrible tasting Caffienated drinks

[@maxmouse713]

How NOT to win the favor of the public: do this kind of thing. Seriously, Monster Energy is doing themselves a lot of damage pulling stuff like this. Probably a lot more than any possible confusion could ever do.

[@Mugman896]

This is literally the equivalent of when the Finebros tried to copyright the word react and look how that turned out for them

[@NuchiAsaki]

The public will eventually forget, especially gamers who have shorter memories than most fish.

[@xinf3ctdx]

Yeah, because I’m sure the majority of the public even has any idea that this is happening in the first place.

[@TonyStark-wr7ob]

​@Nuchi ummm some gamers have masters, phds, and medical degrees. Personally I have a masters in business administration

[@NuchiAsaki]

@@TonyStark-wr7ob Your degree won't mean shit next time you buy a coke or a sprite when you eat out with your family.

[@azrik6084]

This is why I believe a single word should not be trademarkable. It's one thing if it is not a real word, but this same thing happened to banner saga and candy crush saga. They managed to work things out though. In the case of "Monster" I think they should only be able to trademark it as "Monster Energy".

[@AcesMaven]

💯

[@delusion5867]

Unless it's a truely unique word like a rare name (something like disney, not like smith) or a made up word (like kodak or sony), than I think it's ok to trademark. Monster is neither a rare name or made up, it's a common word in English and should not be liable to be trademarked.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

And usually these kinds of trademarks are given in context. You can only use it in the context given and can't prevent others from using the word in other contexts. Monster Energy can only use the word "monster" for their energy drink and promotional material related to it, and anyone else can use the word in any other context.

[@TheOriginal_Unaleska]

I am pretty sure generic words can't be trademarked.

[@CoffinCrawler]

I totally get it. Whenever anyone says they're playing a game with the word, "Monster" in it, I immediately ask, "Whoa. Like the energy drink?"

[@Sorrowdusk]

I know President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Comacho would put a stop to this. I saw him at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin. I'll write him a letter.

[@DutyStalker357]

I know. I was so shocked when I first played Monster Rancher and I found out it WASN'T a game about cultivating the ingredients to make delicious Monster(tm) Energy Drink(tm)(tm).

[@CoffinCrawler]

@@Sorrowdusk it has electrolytes, which are good for the crops...

[@Jack1994hoo]

@@CoffinCrawler it's what the plants crave

[@purpletigerracing7087]

It warms my heart when Yong gets fired up! "Fuck off Monster Energy Drink"!

[@Alicious_Al]

They tried to sue the Mad Monster Horror Convention; a convention that they sponsored for years! They are so freaking delusional.

[@niospartan]

I always thought it only applied to products within the same category. If another beverage called itself monster or monsters I could see that as a valid lawsuit, but anything else is just frivolous

[@nilskanneuchegalsein2593]

thats mostlly why monster looses all their cases

[@dinohermann1887]

​@@nilskanneuchegalsein2593 Even with the Coca-Cola company on their side (since they're the owners of Monster Energy)?

[@the_solomon_sage8431]

@@dinohermann1887 even within same-category cases, it's possible to lose if it's ridiculous enough McDonald's tried to sue a european restaurant over use of the word "mac" and lost. but yeah, Coke's money isn't gonna change anything other than how long they can afford to complain in court. especially against pokemon, a franchise so big it rakes in more money yearly than Disney with all it's properties.

[@tlaren]

If you're wondering what legal means there are for fighting this, it's a matter of finding a slew of these garbage lawsuits, with the filing dates, and pointing out to the judge "hey, this is clearly harrassment as you'll note from all the other case citations, can we have them declared a vexatious litigant (in other words, abusing the court system to get their way) and get this case tossed out, along with barring them from any future similar filings?"

[@CraftyMaelyss]

More people need to like this comment.

[@jacobferrera1777]

​@@CraftyMaelyss yeah

[@bibby659]

Not only that, but if they themselves take any of these complaints to court, they can lose their trademark and trademark privileges forever. It's essentially why nintendo can't just sue a child anymore for showing their art of mario online (yes, this actually happened). Though they could've also just been hit with so much horrible pr that it crippled them still to this day. Similar to disney, who also did the same where they sued a family for using star wars in their childs funeral, and look where thats gotten them now, as they lose all rights and privileges they once had of basically being their own state/country and more.

[@jacobferrera1777]

@Bibby I think you got the story wrong with Disney though, they didn't get sued, they just said no to a grave stone with spider man on it for a family with a 4 year old who died from a rare disease. Unless this is a different thing?

[@NetBattler]

@@jacobferrera1777 what kind of disease is this?

[@AwitchcalledCrazy666]

This is ludicrous! The word "Monster" existed long before the damn energy drink so I don't know how they can possibly think that they own the word. I guess they just like throwing their weight around or maybe they just want the attention/publicity no matter how ridiculous.

[@lesewing]

That's what patent trolls do. They make money off the people who don't want to bother going to court and just give them some money.

[@nicarde88]

Pretty sure Pokèmon and Monster Hunter had existed before this brand of canned piss.

[@gameuniverse5973]

Pokemon even existed before monster energy drink existed so Nintendo has a bigger right to copyright them

[@NetBattler]

Yeah like you said, they just want attention. 😂

[@YokomichiSilver]

@@nicarde88 Pokemon did that wsa 1996. Monster Hunter on the other hand was 2004 while the drink was 2002. Even then the game as been around for 19 years, is owned by Capcom which is just a powerful as Nintendo and deciding to go up against two gaming giants is not only incredibly stupid but deserves to be mocked for. I really hope this hurts Monster Energy's wallet in some given way.

[@theletsplayer9503]

Remember how Google didn't want people to turn 'Google' into a verb because they'd have to rebrand (or something like that)? Doesn't that still apply in a different way in this context?

[@hashrulsubzero]

Even me as a M.E. drinker also think this is stupidest thing the company has ever done. What a way to ruined the brand's reputation 😒

[@TCampari]

Imagine if Nintendo, notoriously strong armed about their IP, counter sued Monster that they damaged the reputation of Pokémon, and that people might confuse the energy drink with the pocket monsters franchises

[@drwilyecoyote5357]

Now i hate nintendo's strong armism, but i want this.

[@ninponighthawk]

I think Nintendo goes too far a lot of times but this...this I'd actively buy more copies of their games for.

[@DIYisntDead]

I mean clearly Monster is just trying to protect the people. I almost died after trying to drink a blu-ray disc in the middle of a Gamestop.

[@Lopoi]

I think trademark law and copyright should have some bigger punishments if you misuse it

[@Str4t0sPh3rE]

I'd like Oxford to sue Monster Energy for trying to trademark the most generic word.

[@jordick8427]

I wonder how would Monster Energy react if someone made a game called: Monsters: Energy Drain Which is a game where you hunt monsters like in Monster Hunter and after defeating them you drain their life's energy.

[@Tigerhearty]

This sounds like free advertisement through controversy but even then it should be punished

[@gameuniverse5973]

I would still not risk going after pokemon which is one of the most biggest franchises in the world

[@invidatauro8922]

Bad publicity doesn't actually help

[@gameuniverse5973]

@@invidatauro8922 tell that to the paul brothers

[@iamjordandavis]

​@@invidatauro8922 not always true, many people are stupid.

[@sabersz]

I didn't plan on drinking Monster in the first place but this just solidifies that I won't be in the future.

[@Zanderb20]

Lol actually imagine copyright trolling the masters of copyright infringement lawsuits, nintendo, and think its gonna go well for you Not to mention pocket monsters was created 7 years before monster energy, they have 0% chance of winning...

[@simon123222]

Not just the word Monster either, they think they own the rights to the word Beast too. Would love to see them go against anyone with a sliver of fan support or money. Convince me that the people that told the FineBros to try and copyright React didn't jump ship to Monster's legal team.

[@gameuniverse5973]

Ah no my boy beast from marvel gonna get targeted

[@redcobra6016]

@@gameuniverse5973 and same with Mr Beast.

[@Sorrowdusk]

Have they ever made a Beast product?

[@gameuniverse5973]

@@Sorrowdusk just check yeah they seemed to have made a beast spin off from the monster drinks pretty much it just alcohol version of monsters

[@Dremag_Gaming]

And anything that looks like claw marks. They're going after the NBA team Raptors for their logo.

[@50ksavagegoodsavage4]

Monster Energy: Welp, let's go and blame developers for using our brand name (which the drink company doesn't know how to read nor spell)

[@gameuniverse5973]

This reminds me on how technically the birthday song is actually copyright owned and the dude who owns it said you have to pay him to sing it

[@toledochristianmatthew9919]

Heck some of these games were during the time when Monster Energy brand didn't even exist.

[@falloutthewindowcrazy7608]

@@gameuniverse5973 seriously!!????? Absolutely effing stupid

[@devforfun5618]

@@gameuniverse5973 they do sue if for example a mcdonalds employee sings it to a customer

[@TheCursedCat1927]

@@toledochristianmatthew9919 Which makes this harassment just empty, because Copyright isn't retroactive to the time before it was created. Plus no court will take it either way. Especially with those idiotic remarks that Monster made...

[@Guarayakha]

Now I want to see all kinds of smaller companies with the word "Monster" in their name/product's name that predates Monster Energy to band up and sue them back for the exact same reason, and then see how fast they try to backpedal on this BS.

[@higgs923]

A friend of mine opened a small business whose name included the word "Beetle." A few weeks after he opened he received a visit from a couple of Volkswagen of America lawyers who insisted that he change the name or VW would sue. He argued that they had no trademark on the word. They agreed but told him that they would tie him up in court until he went broke or gave in.

[@aaronskuse2207]

I heard about this elsewhere, but basically some people think the entire reason Monster is harassing a small indie group is to more easily set a legal precedent to enable a more lucrative lawsuit with a larger company.

[@mrmuyagi9907]

Salami slicing tactic

[@CrocvsGator]

I wonder if they tried to sue Toho for Godzilla, King Of The Monsters. Also, this is unlikely to happen, but since Monster Energy's plan is to get a lucky victory for the word Monster so they can have precedent suing bigger companies, than Pokemon Company, Capcom, Toho, all these companies should help indie teams against this to make sue that doesn't happen. Or, yknow, The Pokemon Compamy could just buy Monster Energy outright. Then rename the brand "Energy drinks that taste like Muk"

[@Sorrowdusk]

Tastes like Jolteon (no infringement on Jolt Cola) or even.... Tastes like Vaporeon. 🤪

[@ArDeeMee]

„More Muk for your Bang“?

[@kikixchannel]

Um...By losing, they are setting precedents galore that they make no case though...Do people seriously forget that it's a double-edged blade like that? Even if they somehow win one case, they're only making a huge archive of lost cases which judges will prioritize over that single victory (which will probably be overturned at a later court hearing once the defendant brings it to another judge).

[@CrocvsGator]

@Krystian You're right, but also I don't think Monster Energy knows that.

[@xraider927]

Or even Digimon

[@jackjenkins3309]

There have been similar legal battles in the past over the word "Edge" and it cost them the trademark as they were using it to extort and abuse people in a similar way.

[@gameuniverse5973]

Hehehe Microsoft edge strikes again

[@Dremag_Gaming]

And the word "SAGA"

[@tenjenk]

This bull is probably due to current trademark and copyright law which requires you to show you are actively protecting it. It leads to a lot of frivelous bulshit and also shitty behaviour agaisnt fan artists, content creators and indies. Monster seems to be going above and beyond what is required for some crazy reason. You can lose your actual recognized brand trademark/copyright that way.

[@kikixchannel]

@@tenjenk There is the drink, so they're already set that 'they are using it'... They just want to extort companies. There's no deeper meaning to it.

[@NopeNaw]

@@tenjenk That only pertains to trademarks. You can not lose copyright by inaction. They are not the same thing, stop conflating them.

[@Zaetren]

trademarking words should be illegal

[@Dlird]

Disney's Monsters Inc came out a year before the drink. It's protagonist is a green/blue monster with claws that would produce the torn M drink logo...so... does the drink really want to turn over all its trademarks to Disney?

[@SnakeRoadComicsOfficial3677]

Nintendo could bankrupt Monster Energy easily if they wanted to. That's like an ant trying to piss off a very stubborn dragon.

[@Sorrowdusk]

A real monster.

[@gameuniverse5973]

I find it funny since a easy court win is how pokemon was made in the 1900s while monster energy drink was in the 2002s

[@Creat0rXYZ]

I think that's exactly what Nintendo should do. It'd net them more money than going after fan-made Nintendo spin-offs

[@wchan39]

Imagine them suing Nintendo and f***ing up so badly that Nintendo ends up owning Monster Energy instead.

[@dinohermann1887]

Nintendo can't sue a Coca-Cola owned marque like that, as far as I know.

[@DigitalApex]

The Fine Bros tried doing the same thing with the word "React" and well, it didn't work out for them.

[@toblerone1729]

They got a fine slap in the face

[@JayeSunsurn]

So... when does the lawsuit against Hasbro's D&D happen, for a book they produce about a manual of creatures to be used in the game? Would like to see that happen.

[@Sorrowdusk]

😮 you might get the Monster Energy Manual instead. That works both ways.

[@laurafrakinroslin]

Feels like a bad move for Monster Energy to antagonize gamers like this

[@darkguardian1314]

This happens every ten years or so... Monster Energy owning color green and white is odd since that was a gamer/hacker thing since 1970s and there are other colors used with different flavors. Last time this happened was the word "Edge" being trademarked by Tim Langdell and suing anyone who used it in any capacity. This includes any variants "Cutting Edge," Gamer's Edge, "The Edge" and simply "Edge" were canceled as of April 17, 2013. Notice Monster Energy didn't come after Monster Career Employment website, Monster Games Inc founded in 1996, and Famous Monster Magazine started in 1958. I have all kinds of Monster stuff trading can tabs for swag but will stop until this is put to bed. RockStar didn't sue RockStar Games...

[@alastor-yw7og]

Wait how many controversies did monster energy made again?

[@user-xc1qy7ed8l]

edge from wwe is gonna spear them 😆

[@Lokiawa]

God I wish Nintendo/Pokemon and Monster Hunter would take Monster Energy to court and put that energy drink into bankruptcy.

[@shirayukinobunaga9424]

Nintendo has a very easy case if you ask me, Pocket Monsters existed 7 years before Monster energy came to be

[@keeganmcfarland7507]

​@Shirayuki Nobunaga I hate how Nintendo went from saving the gaming industry to just being greedy! Not hating Nintendo BTW, I don't like the direction that Nintendo is going to.

[@user-be3qc7re9o]

​@@keeganmcfarland7507 What are you talking about?

[@keeganmcfarland7507]

@@user-be3qc7re9o We're getting sick and tired of Nintendo treating us like garbage

[@user-be3qc7re9o]

@@keeganmcfarland7507 Like how? You haven't given any specifics.

[@Lost_Dawn]

So I guess we can no longer say "AHHH! REAL MONSTERS!!!" then?

[@Jack1994hoo]

Viacom "Sweats nervously"

[@Sorrowdusk]

THAT takes me back to the good ole days 😢.

[@Lost_Dawn]

@@Sorrowdusk 😆

[@gameuniverse5973]

@@Lost_Dawn Frankenstein monster would just be called Frankenstein creation instead

[@Lost_Dawn]

@@gameuniverse5973 NO! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!

[@Silentwaytogo]

Monster Energy has previously done this stuff before. They went after the Toronto Raptors back in 2019, for a logo the Raptors have been using since 1994.

[@bigsyrup8567]

They deserve to go bankrupt for ruining their Assault flavor.

[@kekc2181]

Monster energy drink was presented to public in 2002 Monsters inc cartoon was released in 2001 by Pixar and Disney I have just one question - can a human sized mouse and a lamp send their layers with trademark case to the Monster headquarters?

[@gamamew]

There should be a way to remove ownership of the trademark from the company and make it public domain, including their logos. That way to put a great example to stop copyright and patent trolls.

[@Cheezitnator]

The thing is, they already can't do this. Trademark does not give them exclusive use of the words Monster or Energy or even Monster Energy together. They have to prove that a reasonable person would be confused between the game and the drink. Trademarks, copyrights, and patents are designed to protect intellectual property. If you can take it away from one, you can take it away from all. They should be evaluated and blocked from filing these lawsuits to begin with, but taking their trademark away would be a bad precedent.

[@rokkraljkolesa9317]

@@Cheezitnator if they're gonna play stupid games, they might as well win a stupid prize

[@AJStarhiker]

Monster doesn't have a case. "Monster" is a common language word. Two I specifically remember hearing about were "Spike" (Spike Lee suing Spike tv channel) and "React" from that one YT channel.

[@RevyaAeinsett]

There's also that guy that kept insisting he owned "Edge" until someone finally challenged his lawsuit threats and a judge ruled against him.

[@holo1560]

Umm.. title says Monster Hunter Harass Game Devs

[@harlowviv2968]

He must've been half asleep when uploaded it lol

[@cmdraftbrn]

what, did you not take down the fire breathing winged t-rex with drink cans?

[@Lost_Dawn]

​@@cmdraftbrnOr the Bat with the giant fluff ball on it?

[@TustlePlays]

fixed now by the looks of it

[@YouVSMeTV]

No it doesn’t.

[@trindalas]

Yea they aren’t doing themselves any favors as far as public opinion of them goes by doing this.

[@playahsan]

Back in the day I wanted to buy a game called Monster Train, but I waited for discount because I was a bit broke atm. Imagine my surprise when I see it in my local grocery shop! I bought it for 6zł (less than 2$) only to find out it's a drink and not a hit indie digital card game :( My day was ruined.

[@Stevan_275]

Lmfaooo reminds me when those 2 doofuses tried to trademark the word, "React" lol

[@Xport9]

Didn't go well for them. They fell through obscurity, that they are no longer relevant.

[@Dremag_Gaming]

Not only that but also the reacting format

[@HattaTHEZulZILLA86]

I would LOVE to see them TRY doing THAT against Capcom or Nintendo...

[@chironthecuddley6144]

CAPCOM would pull a Racoon City on Monster, nuke the entire company.

[@IK47-d2l]

It's insane how those F corporations feel entitled to sue people however they like, I will make sure to never buy monster products again

[@Ultrox007]

They don't, they have to in order to maintain their trademarks. Blame governmental laws rather than the corp.

[@NetBattler]

The product itself doesn't looked appealing to me.

[@IK47-d2l]

@@Ultrox007 an English word is never a trademark, they should come up with a name for their shitty stuff instead of copyrighting English words, and they themselves are filing the lawsuit why the F should I not blame them and blame the government?!

[@0816M3RC]

@@Ultrox007 Corpos are always to blame.

[@PikaLink91]

Same

[@michaelanderson9839]

This reminds me of the time when Tim Langdell claim the rights to use the word "Edge" and began putting out lawsuits for any company that would use it without his knowledge. This whole thing went so far out of control that he even went after EA for using the word because it was featured in one of their games that they published called Mirror's Edge, I'm sure you can figure out how this whole thing turned out.

[@Rabbitlord108]

Imagine if someone tried to trademark Edge again. Only to immediately try to go after Microsoft over the "Microsoft Edge" browser.

[@Cibbic]

This isn't the worst I've seen. Y'all remember No Man's Sky being sued for the word "Sky"?. There's even worst ones too.

[@YouAreStillNotablaze]

Well, at least they were stupid enough to file against companies who are pretty damn big and can collectively level a foot up their backsides.

[@Arrusoh]

I kind of hope that them trying to Sue Pokemon actually gets to court. Pokemon would destroy them so bad that I wouldn't be surprised if they lost their trademark

[@rudeboyjohn3483]

Monster suing about using Green and White color combinations is reeeeally poking the bear if Adobe hears about someone else copyrighting the spectrum

[@punk105]

Sometimes, I think it's just lawyers being lawyers, convincing these CEOs they'll make money, it's all about money. So many crazy lawsuits with copyrights

[@cmdrarcturus8197]

There is actual legal precedent against Monster here. Way back, Edge Magazine sued everyone in the gaming industry who dared to use the word "Edge" in their titles/names. It's the reason why Soul Edge was changed to Soul Calibur. Then they went too far and tried suing EA over Mirror's Edge. EA fought back and got their trademark invalidated. Guru Larry did an excellent piece on this.

[@ShagadelicBY]

There should be some rule in place that prevents companies with unimaginative names to sue anyone.

[@Eques_Umbra]

I thought there was, like you can't trademark a logo that is just a simple shape, or pull copyright on a single word, unless its one you came up with.

[@Mechimmortal]

Or just laws that prevent anyone from owning a simple English word.

[@kanetombs1275]

I have a library of 500-600 games, I would say at least half of them actively use the word monster description of a beast or enemy... They would have to sue all of the gaming

[@DubsBrown]

Pokémon should counter sue monster energy into the ground.

[@PhDMario]

I remember that for Gods and Monsters someone speculated that the reason of the changes was to avoid having to delay the game to fight the lawsuit.

[@VOAN]

They weren't just getting sued by Monster, they were also getting sued by God (a.k.a. Sony) as well hence why they change the name.

[@DarkJSN]

No company should be able to trademark a word

[@TheAwesomeDarkNinja]

I swear these companies are run by stereotypical monopoly guys or something. Reminds me of how Nestlé was trying to patent water.

[@Sorrowdusk]

In 2077 you will pay $99 a gallon for Real Water™️.

[@kvjbreaker7054]

Seriously?!!

[@gameuniverse5973]

@@kvjbreaker7054 they were holding off water because they were trying to market there artificial milk is better and it more valuable which caused several babies to die

[@NetBattler]

​@@gameuniverse5973 bruh

[@_Obey_]

​@@gameuniverse5973 Yeah, but since it was only poor african babies, no one gave enough shits really, and thus they're still the biggest power in the food industry today.

[@coryyoung7544]

I pray for those getting cease and desist letters from S class hunters.

[@gameuniverse5973]

Dint know we were talking about hunter x hunter right now

[@coryyoung7544]

@@gameuniverse5973 lol It could be both the typo just said monster hunter never specified.

[@Azure9577]

Correction:- HR rank G hunters

[@catandrobbyflores]

I'm sharpening my dual blades.

[@evanrutledge-sz4yo]

Man, I hate it when I mistake mythical creatures for a cold “Beverage” you find out in the corner of you’re local dollar store.

[@soldier4hire75]

"If Monster decides to go down on them" Nice, Yong

[@yowaitwhat]

Monster hunter been around way longer than monster energy

[@chimerakait]

Are all the companies all going insane, all at once... or is it just my imagination?

[@Bethgael]

Nope, I think you're right. Or we're in a shared delusion, which would be odd, since I don't know you. ;)

[@_Obey_]

Not sufficiently regulated capitalism at its finest.

[@wafflemancer1446]

I can't belive monster hunter would do this. Literally shaking and crying rn...

[@GM-xk1nw]

Monster hunter world would do this?!! Why why whyyyyyyy

[@schlobster3929]

I love how it very slightly proves Monster energys point LMAO

[@gameuniverse5973]

​@@schlobster3929dint blame my boy Godzilla the king of all MONSTERS for this

[@falloutthewindowcrazy7608]

@@gameuniverse5973 King Kong:wait that's illegal

[@jacktheflash8478]

Nooooo

[@shinmalphur2734]

Let’s all be honest, the only reason that anyone drinks monster is because they need liquid sugar and there’s nothing good left on the shelf and you aren’t adventurous enough to try the foreign stuff.

[@squalltheonly]

Actually I think is the price, this is the cheapest energy drink by size. For the price of a red bull you get double the size.

[@gameuniverse5973]

I just get normal juice to be fair but if I have to drink a energy drink it would be arizona

[@AwitchcalledCrazy666]

I'll admit I do like the Monster Energy drinks but...I'm not sure I want to buy them anymore after the stunts that they've been pulling. There are other alternatives out there anyway like Redbull or Relentless. Here in the UK we also have Lucozade, which unlike other energy drinks out there, can actually be handy for when you're feeling sick.

[@teddychu1177]

@@squalltheonly I drink Bing once in a while.. up to $2 a can and doesn't have half the crap the others do. I like to call it the "Organic" energy drink, plus they come in Blackberry flavour :D And there's also Zipfizz too, but I save those for when I'm ill

[@anabang1251]

@@squalltheonly I usually go for the ultra-cheap energy drinks like effect. Same amout of caffeine and they all taste the same anyways.

[@Match25]

I was expecting to capture a lot of different energy drinks when I bought pokemon.

[@MoraFermi]

They are trying to pretend that "Monster" is not a generic term in view of trademark law, because if somebody actually rules it is, they loose the trademark.

[@sanctherion4468]

Now I'm even more glad I never started consuming these kinds of drinks.

[@Sorrowdusk]

My man. There's always Surge.

[@NetBattler]

I'm more into redbull than monster energy.

[@_Obey_]

Idk why, but people really get a ego-boost by pointing out they never consumed x.

[@Kromerlover97]

I mean they taste like pain anyway

[@alastor-yw7og]

​@@NetBattler same here at this point

[@Elijah_utube]

they truly are monster in their heart.

[@uncleclaps44]

I would not be suprised if Monster Energy tried to sue RedBull for stealing their energy drink idea since it was the first on the market before monster.

[@Jack1994hoo]

Considering how deep redbull pockets are, they can easily put Monster in their place.

[@alastor-yw7og]

​@@Jack1994hoo well you know what they say redbull gives you wings

[@TheLegendaryBillCipher]

Monster Energy was founded in 2002. The Pokémon Company was founded in 1998. Truly, the latter is _totally_ copying the former.