A Monster of a Problem

You know I like to watch out for small and mid-sized businesses. I also dislike big businesses that act like bullies. This story does not make me happy.

Monster Energy has a well-deserved reputation for being a #trademark #bully. In a decision handed down yesterday, they stopped an ice parlor from registering the name ICE MONSTER. This 50-page decision comes down to 2 concepts: both parties use “Monster” as the primary element of their brands and (*get ready for this*) Monster Energy has a registration for MONSTER in connection with restaurant services, supported by use of this brand as an employee cafeteria.

Monster has an employee cafeteria named MONSTER BEASTRO, which only employees and visitors to Monster headquarters can visit. The very narrow rights Monster enjoys from this use is the reason that they prevented the registration for ICE MONSTER.

Technically, I agree with this decision. From a moral standpoint, this is further evidence that Monster is a trademark bully. If Ice Monster had come to me, I would’ve discovered this issue using a brand health check. In 2023, I am offering this brand health check to companies in the food and beverage space for only $250. Yes, that’s right, Ice Monster could’ve avoided over seven years of litigation by getting a $250 search done.

Again— this another example of brand issues in the #foodandbeverage industry. This time the victim was a restaurant owner. Hey #restaurant owners! Isn’t business hard enough? Don’t you want to avoid a major legal brand issue?

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