Monster Cable is Back! Sues Mini-Golf Company

[admin]

Monster Cable has already attracted the ire of hi-fi enthusiasts worldwide. If it's not putting up shady displays at big box stores to lure customers into its Monster Cable scam it's doing the same at trade shows like CES. But Monster Cable’s moral ambiguity isn’t limited to promotion of premium priced cables. Monster is fast becoming known as a litigious nuisance in an effort to protect the exclusivity of its name brand. Not long after Audioholics reported on the intellectual property rights dust-up Monster created with Kurt over at Blue Jeans Cable, now Monster is looking to bully a mini-golf company named Monster Mini-Golf.

Discuss "Monster Cable is Back! Sues Mini-Golf Company" here. Read the article.

 

[jamie2112]

OH MY GOD these people are unreal. I can't wait to see what happens with Kurt and the monster.......

 

[Halon451]

I'll bring the popcorn the day we all get front row seats to Monster Cable's flaming descent into oblivion. I understand protecting one's patents and trademarks, but this just continues to be a non-stop train wreck of absurdity. When the levee breaks on these a**holes, I'll be the first in line to watch them squeal at the their dwindling profit margins.

 

[Biggiesized]

Monster needs to be reeled in like Jack Thompson.

 

[Halon451]

OH MY GOD these people are unreal. I can't wait to see what happens with Kurt and the monster.......

Apparently not much - Kurt clearly threw down the gauntlet, and I believe it must have left more than a couple high-priced litigation lawyers on Monster's end scratching their heads and asking themselves... "Uh, okay... now what do we do, they didn't crumble like all the rest of 'em." If I can afford to allow Monster Cable at least one shred of wisdom in all of this is that they may have simply chosen to walk away from this one, knowing full well they would have had their a$$es handed to them on a silver platter.

Hey, you can't bully everyone, all the time and not expect to get a swift kick in the face eventually.

 

[tn001d]

I heard the golf carts are powered using monster powerline 800 cables

 

[KurtBJC]

Just to let everyone know: I've contacted the owner of the company, Christina Vitagliano, and offered my support. I think it's very clear that she's in the right here, and what's very encouraging is that she sounds like a real fighter. This isn't someone who's going to quietly sign a licensing agreement and never be heard from again; I expect a brouhaha.

By the way, over on Engadget HD, in the comments to the news item on this story, there's a post which quotes what is purported to be (I assume it is, but for defamation purposes one can never be too careful) a message from David Tognotti, Monster Cable's house counsel, on the subject of the Monster Mini Golf debacle. Of all things, he's trying to make it out that Ms. Vitagliano's Monster Mini Golf is a big east-coast company (well, she's in Providence, RI, so she is "east coast." As for big--well, she sounds like a great person and I hope her company gets very big indeed, but it's clearly no vast corporate behemoth -- I would say "Monster" if I wouldn't get sued -- today.).

May I make a suggestion to those who are outraged over this? Monster Cable has no doubt received a lot of hostile e-mail from customers and ex-customers over these things, but it clearly hasn't done any good. Consider, when you sit down to write an e-mail, writing to Best Buy or Circuit City to ask them why they carry this product line and to ask them to pass along your feelings to Monster Cable. Retail product placement is the sine qua non of Monster Cable Company; that retail placement translates into sales dollars on a grand scale.

Kurt
Blue Jeans Cable

 

[jamie2112]

Thanks Kurt I am going to write to everyone who sells their Crapola... I will be writing to BB and CC tonight......I will also pass this on to a few thousand friends and family in the music industry. Thanks again, Kurt I hope all is going well with the mons@#$r claims. I am glad there are guys like you out there who will stand up for themselves.

 

[MinusTheBear]

Thanks Kurt I am going to write to everyone who sells their Crapola... I will be writing to BB and CC tonight......


Do not forget to send these letters to Futureshop as well. They are a very large retailer of MC here in Canada. Probably the biggest.

 

[kicknsupra]

man thats sad i am glad i got all my monster super cheap other wise i might think about selling it off just cause

 

[MDS]

Monster's brand is really being diluted. I know when I think mini golf with the name Monster I immediately think AV cables.

 

[birdonthebeach]

Man, does this mean that in my reviews I can no longer refer to a record having a "monster" guitar tone, such as that laid down by Eric Johnson or David Gilmour??!!??

 

[birdonthebeach]

As I sit here thinking about it, dare I suggest we begin to list the people that monster lawyers should try to go after? This could be a fun list....

How about Bobby "Boris" Pickett?

 

[Jack Hammer]

It's stuff like this that really irritates me. I've said it before, I understand (not approve of) why they hassle a competitor like BJC, but hassling family owned companies that have nothing whatsoever to do with audio products is BS. The word "monster" has been in common popular usage long before it was chosen as the monicker for Monster Cables.

They are not protecting a family name or unique product name created by them, such as Oreo cookie or Q-tip ear swab. They are attempting, with much success it seems, to monopolize and control the word Monster from being used for anything other than to refer to their products. What's next, they'll sue Hollywood for making monster movies?

Jack

 

[mtrycrafts]

What's next, they'll sue Hollywood for making monster movies?

Jack

Yes! In fact, they sued Disney and have a secret agreement but from what I heard, the deal is to Disney's benefit. Too bad Disney didn't clean Monsters clock.

 

[MapleSyrup]

"Monster"?

Wonder what Mikey's thinking?

 

[MapleSyrup]

...

 

[Jack Hammer]

Yes! In fact, they sued Disney and have a secret agreement but from what I heard, the deal is to Disney's benefit. Too bad Disney didn't clean Monsters clock.

That may be true, but I don't recall seeing or hearing of any Disney advertising included with Monster products. I have seen included with all the Disney BD's I own an insert both stating and urging for "the best possible Blu-Ray experience" use Monster hdmi cables.

Jack

 

[Halon451]

man thats sad i am glad i got all my monster super cheap other wise i might think about selling it off just cause

Bonfire. Don't sell anything - cut your losses and help send the right message.

 

[smurphy522]

links to BB and CC customer service email

In order to make it easy to contact the big 2 retailers and pass on our concerns about carrying products from an unscrupulous company such as Monster please click below:

Best Buy Cust. Serv.

Circtuit City Cust. Serv.