Briana Reeves
❘ Published: 2023-04-07T22:05:53
❘ Updated: 2023-04-07T22:06:01
Famous brands like Pokemon and Monster Hunter were once targeted by Monster Energy for possible brand “confusion”.
Monster Energy appears intent on becoming one of the only “Monster”-branded companies on the market. Many may recall that a few years ago, the energy drink company reportedly pursued Ubisoft over its Gods and Monsters game.
Set in ancient Greece, the Zelda-inspired adventure with a clever name was eventually reduced to the less-inspired title Immortals: Fenyx Rising.
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Obviously, the fine folks at Monster Energy didn’t stop there. Nintendo’s pocket monsters and Capcom’s creature-hunting franchises have also previously filed trademark complaints.
Monster Energy filed complaints about the Pokemon brand
As reported by Japanese publication Automaton (via Joe Merrick), Monster Energy once applied to the Japan Patent Office to void trademark revocations for other brands that contained some form of “monster” in their titles. Pokemon and Monster Hunter were among the most well-known targets.
According to Automaton, the petitions went specifically to Pokemon X and Y and the Sun and Moon. The energy drink company also objected to using Monster Hunter Cross and Monster Hunter as a trademark. The free-to-play mobile game Monster Strike was also on the receiving end of Monster Energy’s complaints.
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Specifically, Monster Energy’s intellectual property holders felt that other Monster-branded brands would confuse consumers by believing they were somehow connected to the popular energy drink.
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Oh my gosh, this is really hilarious Monster Energy Drinks Company has filed complaints with the Japan Trademark and Patent Office about games that use the word monster, including Pokémon and Monster Hunter, claiming that there may be “confusion” between them. Well that will be fine https://t.co/Et29S1koDW
— Joe Merrick (@JoeMerrick) April 7, 2023
Given that Pokemon Sun and Moon and Monster Hunter Cross launched almost a decade ago, Monster Energy’s trademark complaints were likely filed many years ago.
But a legal battle with indie developer Glowstick Entertainment over the name of its 2020 game, Dark Deception: Monsters and Mortals, suggests the company won’t be giving up that fight anytime soon.
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Interestingly, the Automaton report notes that even the US Patent Office has received petitions from Monster Energy regarding the Toronto Raptors in the past.
The NBA team has a monster claws logo that seems to have ruffled Monster Energy’s feathers at some point. So it seems that it’s not just about the name “Monster”.
