Lawsuit: Monster Cable Thinks You Might Confuse Mini-Golf With Overpriced Cables
Pricey cable-maker Monster is worried you might confuse a haunted house-themed mini-golf course with its popular products, so they're suing.
From News 10:
Monster Cable Products of Brisbane filed suit in Sacramento federal court this week against the owners of Monster Mini Golf in Rancho Cordova along with the Rhode Island woman who sells Monster Mini Golf franchises.
In its trademark infringement suit, Monster Cable claims the miniature golf courses "are likely to cause confusion."
Cindy Stoeckle, who with her husband Chris opened the Rancho Cordova location in March, was shocked when News10 told her about the lawsuit.
"What, are they not making money and they have to make some money off the little guys?" she asked.
The company's founder, Christina Vitagliano of Providence, Rhode Island, said she's been fighting with Monster Cable since she applied for her trademark in 2006. She said her attorney will defend the Stoeckles.
Monster Cable just loves to sue people! According to News 10 they sued Disney for Monsters, INC, the Boston Red Sox for "Monster Seats" on the big green monster, and is currently trying to keep them from calling the concession stand "Monster Concessions."
Rancho Cordova Mini Golf Course Hit with "Monster" Lawsuit [News 10]
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Comments:
What the hell, is no one allowed to use the word "monster" for anything anymore?
Watch out Monster.com...YOU'RE NEXT!
have they sued Monster.com, the job site?
damn LetMeGetTheManager, your 2:42 happened before my 2:42 :(
Monster cables are such a ****ing joke.
Hmmm...
1) Monster Cable does not understand the "likelihood of confusion" aspect of trademark law.
2) Monster Cable has lawyers that have WAY too much time on their hands.
3) Monster cable thinks they own the word "monster" a generic term that probably doesn't even merit protection.
4) Someone at Monster is competing to be even more insane than the CEO of Overstock.com
When did Monster Cables hire Leo Stoller?
I guess they'll have to sue many horror movies too. Damn, they might think these monsters are CABLES!
I will never buy anything from Monster cables...never!
Well, good luck trying to serve a subpoena under my daughter's bed.
as far as their cables go, I've had a few different types, including a component video cable that took the force of three men to push into the connector, and getting it back out, forget it. There's no getting it back out.
I always go with the cheaper brands now that still make cables designed for human use.
Little Jimmy: "Daddy, there's a monster in the closet."
Dad: "Shh- no don't call it that. It's a ghoul or a vampire, but we don't want to get sued, now do we Jimmy?"
I foresee some judicial smackdown-ing in monster's future.
Now if only these mini-golf proprietors had previously been lawyers who now miss the process of ligitation...
Cookie Monster better retain an attorney.
i often get them confused with monster coat hangers
So I guess we'll never see a special edition DVD release of "Aaah! Real Monsters." 90's kids everywhere weep.
Monster Energy Drink, next?
You would think that at some point Monster Cable would decide that there really isn't a point in all these lawsuits other than to make them look silly.
"any publicity is good publicity" <--Monster's motto.
I am very tempted to write them to tell them that because of stupid stuff like this I will NEVER purchase their products.
You clearly don't understand how confused I get everytime I try to hook my golf clubs up to my stereo.
What about Monster Energy? That seems much more likely to confuse people (but we know it wouldn't at all) than a company with "Monster" and "Mini Golf" in its name.
@EE2000: I totally get that mixed up every time I see a Monster Energy Drink in the cooler at the gas station. Who knew gas stations sold a/v cables!!
AMC Monstervision - going down and going down HARD
What a tool this company is...
Makes me glad I have NEVER brought a single thing from them...
Damn this makes me want to go to GoDaddy and register all the names I can think of with the word Monster in it... For shits and grins, add the word cable or something close to it just to fuck with them.
Webster should sue them for using one of their words in their dictionary...
I can see why Monster Cable would sue the mini-golf place, because they're a small, defenseless business.
And I guess I can understand why they'd sue the Red Sox, because the Red Sox should be sued as often as possible, just on general principle.
But filing a lawsuit against Disney? One of the companies that pioneered the concept of frivolous trademark lawsuits? That just seems suicidal.
Have they sued monster.ca yet?
You know, commenters should bill out at $250/hour to Monster Cable. This is what their attorneys do.
Why doesn't Monster.com file a lawsuit against Monster Cable?
But in their defense, I did watch Monsters Inc. on cable!
FTW!!!
Monster Cables vs Monster Trucks.
Like to see that.
I don't see how there can be any confusion, unless Monster Mini-Golf is an overpriced rip-off.
Umm.. this is like patenting the word "BIRD". You can't use the word BIRD or we are going to sue you.
I bet 10% of their revenues from their heavy cable markup is probably for their legal dept. to sue it's own customers.
Thanks for bying this Monster cable for your Monster Mini Golf location, and we are going to sue you from the fees we collected from you b/ you have the word "MONSTER' in your name.
Hmmm, last time I went to a Monster Truck rally, I didn't see suits running around in front of Bigfoot trying to hand deliver a summons to court.
And I didn't see Bigfoot the Sasquatchs' lawyers looking to sue the Bigfoot Monster truck, Sasquatch FTW!!
History channel next?? Monster Quest???
They would probably sue a company called Monster Crap if it existed. But that, probably would get confusing...
For some reason, there's no press release at monstercable.com:
Press Search Results for: monster mini golf
No Results Found. Please try your search again.
Their market share is going to crap, informed consumers won't buy their products and their grabbing for as much as they can before the bottom. Good riddance.
Ah, yes the lawsuit. The greatest tool of a fledgling business. Just like the Starbucks' "we copyrighted 'double-shot'" lawsuits against small-time coffee shops, this one will fail, too.
The overglorified and overpriced shielded coat hangers have run their course. Only fools, the ignorant, and the bribed (see: concert halls, stadiums, theaters, etc.) would even think of purchasing a Monster cable now.
Maybe it's time I start a small LLC and use Monster in the name of the business.
This is giving me a monster headache. Oops, time to get out the checkbook!
My suggestion: Golem Mini Golf. Yeah, Judaism might want to sue, but where are they going to get a lawyer?
heh, that's kinda like when Spike Lee sued "Spike", the television channel. The judge threw that one out too.
Hell loses trademark lawsuit
HELL (AP) -- The Hell-based realm of Hades lost an appeal today against Monster Cable Products of Brisbane, California, who filed a cease and desist order against the use of the word "monster". The loss is rare for Hell, which acquires a steady stream of OEM souls as well as involuntary servitude from breach of blood contracts.
A representative for Hell's 4100 demons, ghouls, and foreign workers called Monster Cables a "patent troll" that uses the courts as a way to induce settlements. Most companies end up settling rather than go through the hassle of fighting Monster in court.
Satan, leader of Hell, said his organization was disappointed with the outcome of its legal battle. "We're disappointed but we respect the appeals court's decision. We do have it on good authority that we will have our turn against the members of this company and their legal staff after their mortal lives pass, and hence we shall bide our time."
Said a spokesman for Monster Cables, "Our company has been concerned for some time about Best Buy and Circuit City being consumer hell while also selling Monster Cables. There was too much opportunity here for brand confusion."
In a recent case involving the International Dairy Foods Association, a federal court in Wisconsin also sided in favor of Monster, finding that "monster" and "milk" both shared the letter M.
@crabbyman6: Right on...they need to contact Kurt Denke because he is "unitimidated by litigation." and he sometimes rather misses it.
So is the manufacturer claiming that they're the only real monsters out there?