Monster Cable is Back! Sues Mini-Golf Company

[mike c]

Monster Worldwide is the parent company of the employment site, not Monster Cable.

looks they're a pretty big company. lot's of juice to squeeze. you should sue them

 

[KurtBJC]

This lawsuit was never about the money, our requests were always minimal.

pangritt: you do realize, of course, that nobody with two neurons to rub together thinks that statement smells true, don't you?

If your requests have always been minimal and reasonable, how about this: you waive the confidentiality agreement governing the mediation, and waive any confidentiality privilege concerning any subsequent negotiations? That way, Christina and Patrick can let us all know exactly how "minimal" your requests have been.

I mean it. Let us know, right here and now, that you are willing to waive any obligation of confidentiality which the Vitaglianos may have. I, for one, would love to hear the details of exactly how easy-going, just and reasonable your demands have been.

Kurt
Blue Jeans Cable

 

[mtrycrafts]

...
After the mess you've made, and the $183,000. you've cost us so far.....
You come to this forum and ask us for more money????
$100. per month, per franchise, is $2,200. per month, and you say it's not about money?
-Patrick Vitagliano

This is exactly why they are a predator and a bully. Bully small shops and outfits to buckle, relinquish their name, pay royalties, etc.

And, I bet Virgin took lessons from the monster and now are doing the same. Which small shop can stand up to a wealthy corporation like a monster or a Virgin?

Shame on monster, but they have none.

 

[mtrycrafts]

... We have millions of happy customers. With

Thanks for lending your ear,

Noel Lee

The Head Monster

Founder and Owner of Monster

MonsterTruth.com

Not to worry, be happy you were able to mesmerize them to buy your expensive products. But, we'll try to educate as many as we can and I bet they will see the light.

 

[birdonthebeach]

Monster Worldwide is the parent company of the employment site, not Monster Cable.

I know - please go back and read the entire post! I was making a point about the employment site and how they are a bigger and better known (or equally well-known) company.

 

[jinjuku]

Mr Lee.....
Really? I mean.....REALLY??
After the mess you've made, and the $183,000. you've cost us so far.....
You come to this forum and ask us for more money????
$100. per month, per franchise, is $2,200. per month, and you say it's not about money?

Here's a better idea.....Leave us alone.....Live and let live.

We would like you to stop opposing the "Monster Mini Golf" mark that the USPTO already granted us.
We would then like you to reimbuse us for the crippling legal fees that we have had to accrue as a result of your actions.
Just clean up your mess, get us back to zero, and let's all get on with our lives.

You have already ruined Christmas for us, and the emotional damage that you have caused for my wife so far can never be undone. She is crying even as I write.

-Patrick Vitagliano

If you are in for $183K, There are really only two ways to get your $$ back. Settlement that includes your legal fees and your name intact or once you have them running scared, see it through, run them right off the cliff. After that you will be surprised to see how quickly the emotional healing will be. Vindication and a court awarded judgment have a way of putting a smile on ones face.

Even a penny of licensing fees is a penny too much.

What is funny is this is most likely their 'Modus Operandi'. Try and get the defendants to a certain pain threshold, and then offer a simple "we'll license your name back to you" for very little $$. This sets them up to own your name and then use it for their next victim. While keeping the settlement terms sealed OF COURSE.

I cannot even begin to fathom the emotional/financial toll that this is taking on you. This offer is one made out of disrespect for you and your efforts. He is a poker player that has a weak hand and has abused you with a superior chip stack. He is now afraid of that final card falling because he truly knows what it means.

Mr. Lee; rescind the gag order on all your dealings with MMG thus far. Only criminals and bullies fear the light of truth.

Your in house legal counsel, David Tognotti, directly lied to me about MC still pursuing Kurt Denke/BJC. You lied to the general audio enthusiast public in post 47 when you you said:

"If they were a small family owned business, that would not bother us because the dilution is minimal. Monster Mini Golf is a franchise business that goes across 10 states, fully intentioned to go national.

What dilution? Diluting the word MONSTER? With clothing and winter sports? It's no dilution, it's delusional and abusive! You are very insulting.

Exhibit 1: MonsterVintage.com

Exhibit 2: Snow Monsters

So answer this ONE question: Do you or do you not go after small privately owned companies that have no relation to your industry?

It's a direct question, a simple yes/no will suffice.

 

[jamie2112]

I have personally sent all this info to many higher ups in the pro audio world as well as managers and equiptment rental houses. I have had a good response and Mr Lee your time of bullying small buisnesses is coming to an end. I will continue to spread this story and others as much as humanly possible. You are already getting a bad name all over and I find this wonderful. Your crappy cables and misleading consumer info WILL come back and bite your *** period. I hope we can all be part of a MONSTER PAIN IN THE *** to you and your lying company. Have a great Holiday as well TOOLBAG.

 

[birdonthebeach]

We need to get this in the hands of the O'Reilly Factor, or some show like that...

 

[WmAx]

I'm p_ssed. This withdraw of the suit to me, seems like they are just afraid of losing the lawsuit, and want to preserve as much as their predatory power as possible by not letting it go to court.

Can't even see through with their own so-called convictions. Well, okay. So why still trying to collect extortion fees? My goodness, they are jerks. Oh, and also pathetic cowards.

Please Monster Mini Golf, counter-sue these people; get your money back. Don't let Monster Cable off so easily. They took their 'dip' at you. Be that bad case of legal herpes that just won't go away.

-Chris

 

[Nemo128]

So answer this ONE question: Do you or do you not go after small privately owned companies that have no relation to your industry?

And that is really the most important fact about this entire debacle with Monster. The fact that he can claim a word, used extensively in a globally recognized language long before his company was even a thought in his egomaniacal brain, belongs to his company for its exclusive use.

AND worse yet, to financially attack companies who use it in completely unrelated sectors of business! I would love to hear the argument, in court during a trial, how Monster MINI GOLF, Snow MONSTERS, and MONSTER.COM can possibly affect the market strength of MONSTER CABLE.

I suppose someone is going to hook up their receiver with a snowboard? Perhaps a new wave of wiring speakers using golf clubs will hit the market? Noel Lee you pathetic soulless mass of flesh and bone, I would probably feel ashamed to own one of your products if I didn't get it for free...

 

[Cpt.America]

For 30 years, we have prided ourselves on making the highest performance products in everything that we do. We have millions of happy customers.

Your happy customer is only happy until they realise/find out that you charged them 10X or 15X the price they should of had to pay. Then, you have a pissed off customer who goes all over town spreading the word on how PAINFULLY overpriced your products are, and where others can find better producs, for literally, a tiny fraction of the price. How do I know? Because I have personally educated well over a dozen or two dozen other people on where they can find cables that are just as good, at 1/15th the cost at either monoprice, and bluejeans cables after I made the horribly buyers remorse filled decision to buy one of your cables. Each of these newly educated people were VERY happy with the infomation I provided them, and each of them continue to spread the word on their own.

Know where that single monster cable I purchased is at now? A perfectly good $100 4 foot HDMI cable that was barely used? In a landfill. (sorry earth)

With economic conditions as they are, we need to focus on our core business. We will just keep producing the great high quality products for all to enjoy and hopefully Monster Mini Golf will get what they want one way or the other.

With the economic conditions as they are, i find it my duty to educate even MORE people, so they don't waste more money on your crappy product. How you guys have stayed in business is beyond me, but I make an effort every day to help you go out of business. I hope to see you there soon.

Thanks for lending your ear,
Noel Lee
The Head Monster
Founder and Owner of Monster
MonsterTruth.com

Take a hike... thanks.

Cpt.

 

[Cpt.America]

I think im going to start up a new business, and see If I can get the great guys at Monster Cable to sue ME... Think I can do it? here is the idea for my product:

"Monster Kegel" thigh excercise machine. I invision something like a thigh-master, only uglier and 10X the price... waddya think?

 

[atmasphere]

IMO, MC is really opening themselves up for a good fraud case. In this case, fraud in the inducement- MC knew upfront that golf is a completely different field from audio cables; thus the USPTO would not support their claim of infringement. IOW their specious lawsuits are bullying and nothing more.

 

[MonsterMiniGolf]

From Christina, Co-Founder of Monster Mini Golf & human being...not a Head Monster

Hi all,

I am not sure if I have ever posted here yet. I have read Everything and thank everyone. Here are my thoughts:

22 Franchises so that would be $2200 a month we would have to pay Noel Lee for a business we created. I really don't think he actually gets it.

If he had left us alone do you think people would be wandering the universe wondering how anyone could tell the difference between Monster Cables or Monster Mini Golf?

Yet now...if you ask people if they know the difference, I am guessing they will clearly answer but I don't think that it would be the answer Monster Cable was aiming for.

I truly believe in what we are fighting for and I never wish this upon anyone else. Maybe this year someone could buy Noel Lee a heart for Christmas. If I could get this man to see what he has done, heck!, I'd bring him a heart myself. I think the only chance he has at any redemption at all is to come forward...in public, in person, apologize, pay our fees that resulted in this mess and realize that we live in a world where we really can exist all together. (Cables and Mini Golf in the same place..imagine that!)

If he could do that, I would fly out to sunny California and stand by his side publicly and thank him. I think that is his only redemption at this point and I can honestly say that would restore my faith in believing that he is a human being….with a heart. Up till now, he’s been a 100% Grinch!

Thank you all again,
Christina

 

[MatthewB.]

Pangritt, when I started out in this hobby five years ago, I fell victim to Monster Advertising. I own a MK3600, two AVS2000 and a couple cables. I have since learned that I can buy comparable gear at Tripplite and BlueJeanCables for far less and of equal quality. The gear Monster sells although pretty to look at, can be achieved for far less elsewhere. the final straw came when I read two years ago about the lawsuits on a Childrens charity that Monster sued. For shame on monster on that one.

How any person with an IQ over a three year old can possibly confuse your company with those who share a "similar" name is ludicrus and all you have to do is just go into A/V forum websites like Sound and Vision, AVS, AV123 and others and you will see the damage that Monster is doing to themselves by these frivilous lawsuits.

 

[MatthewB.]

By having MMG pay you guys 2,200 a month is tantamount to extortion and the ruse of it all going to charity is also B.S. because Monster than can claim those donataions at tax time and make that money back. I am one consumer who has spent nearly 5,000 on Monster products and will never buy Monster again and since I work in an industry that deals with thousands of people daily, I discuss my hobby with alot of people and they always ask me about Monster and I tell them the truth. It's way overpriced for what you get, and I feel proud of the fact when I can personally sway so many customers away from Monster. Do us all a favor, drop the suit totally and put in writing that you will not go after MMG again and pay them for their costs and maybe you will walk away with just a shred of dignity.

But unless you make things right and stop extorting MMG, we will not forget and as you can see, A/V forum membrs have very long memories and yes we can influence far more consumers than any advertising you could ever come up with. Something to consider.

 

[pangritt]

IMO, MC is really opening themselves up for a good fraud case. In this case, fraud in the inducement- MC knew upfront that golf is a completely different field from audio cables; thus the USPTO would not support their claim of infringement. IOW their specious lawsuits are bullying and nothing more.

Monster Mini Golf is trying to trademark "Monster" even though a search at the USPTO web site clearly shows that "Monster" is already trademarked in the gaming space. Mini golf is a game, and Monster has been involved with other sporting ventures including sports venue.

MonsterTruth.com

 

[Cpt.America]

Monster Mini Golf is trying to trademark "Monster" even though a search at the USPTO web site clearly shows that "Monster" is already trademarked in the gaming space. Mini golf is a game, and Monster has been involved with other sporting ventures including sports venue.

MonsterTruth.com

Woulnd't it simply be denied by the trademark office? (excuse my ignorance). I don't see how this has anything to do with suing/extorting money from a minigolf company. The piece of the puzzle you seem to keep dancing around... that we keep bringing up.. is that there is no chance a minigolf company could be confused with a cable company, which is I think the basis for your kind of lawsuite in the first place. Without it, isn't it just fraud/extortion? why don't you answer some of our real questions for once?

My REAL question needs a REAL ****** answer. Why do you sell your products for 10-15 TIMES the price they should be sold for, succeeding simply because of the fact that your casual shopper doesn't know any better?

 

[jinjuku]

Monster Mini Golf is trying to trademark "Monster" even though a search at the USPTO web site clearly shows that "Monster" is already trademarked in the gaming space. Mini golf is a game, and Monster has been involved with other sporting ventures including sports venue.

MonsterTruth.com

Then let the ****ing trademark office do it's job. I guess I should pick a word and register it's name in every conceivable space of commerce known to man kind.

You deserve the *** paddling that you are receiving in the public space. It's obvious that you have name registration in many, rather tenuous, spaces. If you see a trade-mark application coming through you pounce. You're a trademark troll. Pure and simple. How god-damned stupid do you thing various communities like AH/HTS/AVSForum etc.... are?

 

[jinjuku]

USPTO web site clearly shows that "Monster" is already trademarked in the gaming space. Mini golf is a game, and Monster has been involved with other sporting ventures including sports venue.

MonsterTruth.com

Good luck protecting something as overly broad as Monster.

The GAME space?

What are you referring to?

Board Games?
Games of Chance?
Card Games?
Drinking Games?
Parlor Games?
Sports Games?
Role Playing Games?

I assume your next step is register Monster Playing Cards, Monster Gambling, Monster Liquor, Monster Parlor, Monster RPG.

You are a *real* class act there. Maybe domain squatting laws and case history can be retrofitted to address your abuses.