Monster Energy wants to prohibit a developer with a small horror game on Steam from using the word “Monster” in their games. However, they seem to have taken on the wrong person. Because that person is not willing to accept this.
What kind of drink is it? Monster Energy is a brand of energy drinks that targets gamers. After all, they are known to need a lot of energy to game through the night. However, the brand, which now belongs to Coca-Cola, also has a reputation for being quite litigious.
So they apparently have it in their heads that they hold the exclusive rights to the word “Monster.” Ubisoft seems to have already felt this with their action RPG “Gods and Monsters.” However, Ubisoft officially states that they renamed the game to “Immortals: Fenyx Rising” of their own accord (via eurogamer).
Now, however, it seems that Monster Energy has taken on the wrong person, as an indie developer does not intend to simply give in.
The people behind Monster Hunter seem to have been spared so far.
“They must own the colors green and white”
Who has Monster Energy targeted? Coca-Cola and Monster Energy have set their sights on the indie studio Glowstick Entertainment. Because their horror multiplayer Dark Deception: Mortals and Monsters uses, you guessed it, the word “Monster.”
Moreover, they are apparently bothered by the design of the logo: it gives the impression that it is a product of the Monster Energy brand.
How does Monster Energy proceed? As reported by PC Gamer, Monster has already offered the developer a settlement. This would allow the studio to use the name, but only under a series of conditions:
- The word “Monster” or variations like “monstrous” and “monstrosity” may never be used in a game title again.
- Glowstick Entertainment may never again use a green-and-white logo on a black background.
The latter is commented on by the developer with a sarcastic: “They must own the colors green and white.”
Developer wants to show the “true face” of Monster Energy
How is the developer fighting back: Vincent Livings, founder and CEO of Glowstick Entertainment, reported on Twitter about the legal threats from the energy drink. He refers to Monster Energy as a “trademark troll.” This usually refers to individuals who register a trademark solely to threaten and sue others for use.
It is well known that Monster Energy is a notorious trademark troll. Unfortunately, they are at it again. For a company that likes to market its drinks to gamers, they also like to bully game studios with lengthy and expensive litigation, driving them into bankruptcy.
Livings also mentions that Monster Energy’s lawyers are currently after the studio because Dark Deception: Monsters & Mortals is “confusingly similar” to the energy drink.
But Livings does not intend to give in. Instead, he plans to fight Monster Energy in court. Additionally, he wants to publish everything he has received from the brand, so that other game developers can gain insight into their methods.
The proposed settlement has already been made public by Livings, who said:
Dishonest companies like Monster Energy rely on being able to carry out their harassment in secret while presenting a clean image to their base (athletes and gamers). Publicly revealing their true face is the only way to stop them.
How does Livings plan to cover the costs? The developer has come up with a particularly nice plan: In a livestream, he wants to play games that all have the word “Monster” in the title to raise money for the legal dispute.
We have requested a statement from Monster Energy regarding the case and will add it here as soon as we receive it.
Whether it will ever come to that and the matter will be taken to court is still uncertain. By the way, Dark Deception: Mortals and Monsters is available for €3.99 on Steam.
The indie favorite Dark & Darker is also currently in a legal dispute with a larger corporation, but in this case, the matter is unlikely to be resolved with an apology on social media. A fundraising campaign should help cover the costs:
