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Energy drink faces wrath of Bon Jovi
By Jim Welte - MP3.com
July 19, 2007 at 11:38:00 AM | more stories by this author

Maker of coffee-based beverage gets cease-and-desist letter because its name, Mijovi, is too similar to that of the Jersey rocker.

Sure, you may feel jovial at times, but you should always keep in mind that there is only one Jovi.

Jon Bon Jovi, that is.

Mijovi Mijovi

The well-coiffed New Jersey rocker has made that point abundantly clear to a New Jersey entrepreneur behind a coffee-based energy drink that uses those coveted four letters--J-O-V-I--in its title. During a visit to a cafe in Red Bank, New Jersey, in January, Bon Jovi apparently spotted an energy drink by the name of Mijovi.

Marcos Carrington, a resident of East Brunswick, New Jersey, and the man behind the beverage, told the Asbury Park Press this week that he was hit with a cease-and-desist letter from Bon Jovi's attorney. The letter's message was clear: Mijovi is too similar to the singer's moniker, and he must stop using the name or face Bon Jovi's legal wrath.

Carrington told the paper that the drink is named after his girlfriend, Jovita, and that the "j" is silent--think "mi hovi."

Bon Jovi is also upset that the beverage's can features the slogan "its-mi-life," as it is too similar to one of he band's recent hits, "It's My Life." That title was also used previously by the likes of Eric Burdon of the Animals and Talk Talk.

In a January 22 letter, Los Angeles lawyer Peter Laird, representing Bon Jovi, objected to the word "Mijovi" as well as other words "itsmijovi" and "itsmilife" that appear in the company's marketing materials and on the can. Rather than use Carrington's spelling, the letter used the phrases, "It's My Jovi" and "It's My Life."

But Carrington said the words "itsmijovi" and "itsmilife" are meant to mean "it's my jovial life." The full phrase on the can is "itsmienergy.itsmijovi.itsmilife."

Carrington said that future cans of Mijovi will not feature that motto.

"It is just unfair," Carrington, 37, told the paper. "It is unfair because Mijovi has nothing to do with Bon Jovi."

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8 Comments

Oldest First | Newest First
I think the name Mojovi is okay ... But using both "jovi" and "It's my life" is a bit close for comfort. The drink company should sponsor him, that's one way of sorting it out! haha
Posted 07/21/2007 5:38pm
As soon as I saw Mijovi, I knew that the "j" was silent. Carrington is right. It's not fair. Why does Bon Jovi have to go around wrecking peoples' lives? I can take a shot and guess. He's a has-been rockstar, who like Britney Spears, believed he was publicity starved, so he came up with the best remedy: Use an age-old recipe for public appearance. Come on. Remember when Apple got angry at names like "MyPodder" and even "Podcast", because of the use of the word "Pod"? And BlackBerry did the same thing with BlackJack? It worked for them so Bon Jovi seized the opportunity as soon as he saw that can.
Posted 07/21/2007 12:53am
For such a talentless hack, Bon Jovi has his nerve; his ego is MASSIVE. I've always despised the man and his 'music', but this just shoots that hatred through the roof.
Ugh.
Posted 07/20/2007 6:47am
Who is this Jon Bon Jovi? Year 3007. Mmmm this is some good coffee. Year 3007?
Posted 07/20/2007 1:04am
Typical arrogant rockstar...
Posted 07/19/2007 8:21pm
Geez. Why can't the guy go to a simple court hearing and tell the judge all that stuff. Obviously, Jon Bon Jovi needs something to do.
Posted 07/19/2007 7:23pm
That is a really dumb reason for Bon Jovi to want to sue them. The drink isn't called Bon Jovi, its Mijovi. Celebs think they own everything.
Posted 07/19/2007 6:48pm
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