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Monster Energy Opposes Marvel's Monster Unleashed Trademark

Published Fri, 04 Aug 2017 16:00:26 -0500

Monster Energy is an energy drink introduced by Hansen Natural Company (now Monster Beverage Corporation) in April 2002. The regular flavour comes in a black can with a green, torn M shaped logo. The company is also known for supporting many extreme sports events such as UFC, BMX, Motocross, Speedway, skateboarding and snowboarding, as well as electronic sports. In collaboration with Outbreak Presents, Monster Energy promotes a number of music bands around the world, like Asking Alexandria, The Word Alive, Maximum the Hormone and Five Finger Death Punch. Monster currently sponsors the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

There are 34 different drinks under the Monster brand in North America, including its core Monster Energy line, Java Monster, Extra Strength, Import, Rehab and Muscle Monster.

Well, they have a new fight on their hands. Marvel Comics. Monster Energy have asked, and have been granted, an extension to oppose Marvel Comics' trademark registration for the comic book Monsters Unleashed!

Originally a 1973 title from Marvel, the black-and-white horror comics magazine Monsters Unleashed ran for 11 issues until 1975. The magazine primarily featured stand alone horror stories, both original and reprinted, including from pre-Comics Code comics from Marvel Comics' 1950s' iteration, Atlas Comics. It occasionally featured stories starring the Marvel Comics swamp monster Man-Thing, the Marvel version of the Frankenstein monster, the bestial Wendigo, the science-fiction adventurer Gullivar Jones. and the superheroine Tigra.

It was revived this year as a mini-series and ongoing series spinoff in which monsters had been appearing on Earth upon falling from the sky, to be fought by Marvel's superheroes until Medusa and Karnak discover that Kei Kawade is an Inhuman who can summon monsters called Goliathons to help fight the Leviathan invasion. Kei then learns how to use his powers perfectly and manages to defeat the Leviathaon Queen with a team of new monsters. The ongoing series has seen Kei Kawade, team with monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone, and Kei Kawade's creations Aegish, Slizzik, Scragg, Hi Vo and Mekara.

Marvel recently registered a trademark for Monsters Unleashed. It appears Monster Energy believe that is too close to their own product. And though in separate trading areas, it is possible that Monster Energy has comic book plans of their own.

And while Marvel used the title in the seventies, any trademark registration based on that publication would have had to have been abandoned a long time ago.