Vermont Brewer Slays Monster

From the Insane Trademark Claim file: A tiny brewer in Vermont will continue to market its Vermonster barley brew, and it has agreed to never market any energy drinks, which it never intended to do.

So both brewer Rock Art and its tormenter, Hansen Beverage (HANS), which makes the popular Monster energy drink, have written large checks to lawyers, only to revert to the situation as it had been.

Hansen sent a cease-and-desist letter last month to Rock Art, claiming that Vermonster is too similar to Monster. People would confuse the former, a barley-based wine, with Hansen's liquid kiddie-speed, the company claimed, apparently with a straight face.

Ah, lawyers.

Vermonster owner Matt Nadeau told the Associated Press that "the new power of traditional media, combined with social media," were in part responsible for getting Hansen to back off. 

"Nadeau said he had been told by five trademark attorneys that he could probably win in court," the AP reports, "but that fighting for the name would likely bankrupt him."