…you might have an argument there for this practice of rival-brand-mark sponsored-placement squatting constituting an odd type of trademark infringement.

Imaging if PepsiCo paid grocers to shelve cans of Pepsi right beside cans of Coke, sharing the same inventory tag that just says “Coca Cola”. Coke would definitely be able to sue for something about that, right? Well, isn’t this the same?

Paying to parasitize the brand recognition and trust of a competitor has become the norm. he comparison to retail product squatting perfectly illustrates why this feels like an unfair infringement, not just aggressive marketing.

> Imaging if PepsiCo paid grocers to shelve cans of Pepsi right beside cans of Coke

I think that part is true? Inventory tag doesn’t matter too much here.

Better analogy would be putting Pepsi syrup into a Coke-branded fountain, maybe?