There’s some high-octane drama bubbling up in the world of energy drinks. Monster energy drink is trying to get a competitor called Bang into a courtroom, the Miami Herald reports.
Monster filed a lawsuit in California district court Monday calling bulls**t on VPX Sport, which markets Bang. The suit accused VPX of falsely claiming Bang can help cure Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, and other forms of dementia. It challenged VPX’s assertion that Bang can “reverse mental retardation.” It laid a heavy side-eye on VPX’s positioning of Bang as “the healthiest energy drink.”
If Bang could do all of these things, the world would be a much happier (and much more energized) place. But there is no known cure for these diseases.
Monster’s lawsuit points to a marketing video that makes these miracle claims made by VPX’s owner Jack Owoc, who is also named in the suit. In the video, Owoc hypes an ingredient in Bang called “Super Creatine,” which he says can help reverse the effects of aging on the brain. The lawsuit says there is no evidence of this.
Along with false advertising, the suit accused VPX of violating California’s laws on unfair competition and trade libel. Apparently, VPX has called more mainstream energy drinks “life-sucking sodas.”
Energy drinks can have some wacky side effects, according to studies done on various animals, but none as crazy as curing terrible diseases. If Bang deserves credit for anything, it’s ensuring that energy drinks remain the sleaziest beverages you can buy at 7-Eleven.
