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MTN DEW Has Fans Excited After Filing New Pitch Black Trademark

Bottles of Mountain Dew, including the limited edition Pitch
UNITED STATES – SEPTEMBER 28: Bottles of Mountain Dew, including the limited edition Pitch Black flavor, sit on display in a New York deli on September 28, 2004. (Photo by Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

MTN DEW Pitch Black has been a favorite amongst soda drinkers since its first introduction in 2004. Now, the fabled drink could be on its way back after being pulled from most markets nearly a decade ago. On June 22nd, PepsiCo filed two new trademarks for the drink, leading some to believe the company intends to use the brand name in upcoming business.

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In addition to a trademark filed for the MTN DEW Pitch Black stylized logo, a standard character mark was filed for MTN DEW Zero Sugar Pitch Black, meaning Pepsi sought the broadest possible protection for the sugar free option.

The grape-flavored nectar was released as a limited time offering in 2004 to celebrate Halloween. The next year, DEW changed the flavor for a Pitch Black II. Some locations across the United States carried the soda between 2011 and 2019, largely available as a fountain drink. It’s been discontinued for 2020, effectively removing the flavor from all domestic markets. A citrus-based alternative of Pitch Black is still being sold in Singapore and Malaysia.

A Zero Sugar alternative matches perfectly with the strategy of the rest of the brand, creating no-sugar alternative for many of its new flavors. To date, Zero Sugar alternatives are avaialble for the main drink, plus MTN DEW BMTN DEW Spark, MTN DEW Code Red, MTN DEW Frost Bite, and MTN DEW Major Melon.

It’s rumored this year’s Halloween flavor, MTN DEW VooDew IV, will also receive its first-ever Zero Sugar alternative.

It should be noted trademarks don’t always end in with sodas being produced, and plans could change along the way. MTN DEW and Pepsi officials have yet to comment on the potential return.

Cover photo by Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images