In a recent court filing, a Las Vegas-based energy drink company is accusing Nintendo of attempting to strong-arm it into changing the name of a Pokémon-branded caffeine drink. The case revolved around a dispute over a licensing agreement between the two companies and Nintendo’s attempts to stop Monster Energy from selling the aid.
Monster Energy, a major player in the energy drinks market, first entered into a licensing agreement with Nintendo in 2016 to produce a series of Pokémon-branded beverages. As per the agreement, Monster Energy used the trademarks, images and other intellectual property to create a range of products.
However, the partnership did not last long, as Nintendo soon began to express concern over Monster Energy’s choice of name for one of its drinks. The beverage in question was titled the “Monster Energy Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon”, a clear nod to the seventh generation of Pokémon games, which had a storyline based around the two celestial bodies.
Nintendo claimed that Monster was attempting to gain an unfair advantage by using the word “Monster” in the title, in direct violation of the agreement between the two companies. Nintendo then advised Monster that the drink should be rebranded and that the word “Monster” should not be associated with Pokémon in any way.
Monster Energy, however, refused to oblige, and instead accuses Nintendo of trying to pressure them into changing the name of the drink. In a recent court filing, Monster stated that the company was merely attempting to capitalize on the popularity of the game by creating a product that could be sold to the fans of the franchise.
While the case is still in the early stages, the episode serves as a reminder of the power that major companies can hold over emerging brands. As the case develops, many will be watching with interest to see how it will be resolved, as well as what it may mean for companies wishing to license intellectual property in the future.
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