Settlement Update
Just thought I'd send everyone an update....
Well, the world has spoken and asked Monster Cable to basically "Put up or Shut up"....and (are you sitting down.....?) They listened.
We've been on the phone for about a week with Noel Lee and Kevin Lee, without the lawyers, and as of yesterday we signed an agreement which includes legal reimbursement, an apology, dropping their oppositions to our trademarks and allowing us to register them (without a license agreement), no gag-order, no canned public statements, and most importantly....
(And this is the one that EVERYONE wanted.....)
Noel has pledged personally to re-evaluate MC's position in the future in regards to trademark enforcement, and promises to be personally involved with all future oppositions.
This is huge, because what it means is that this is not likely to happen again in the future.
In return, we are respectfully hanging up our rifles and calling off our ongoing war efforts, and breathing a sigh of relief that this is finally over.
It was actually amazing to see what could be accomplished on a human-to-human level, without all of the lawyers present, stinking things up. Both parties got to air their grievances, and develop an understanding of each other's positions.
Don't get me wrong, we are not "Friends" all of the sudden, but after those walls were down, we were able to settle our differences with a mutual respect for each other's businesses, which was far more productive than lawyers trying to see who could fire the biggest missile.
I just wanted to share this information with you, and thank you all for getting behind this cause. Without the greater voice of the audio community, we may never have gotten this far. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to ask, as there is no gag-order in place and we are free to discuss this openly. The message we want to get across here, is this....
The world spoke, and Monster Cable listened, and we couldn't be happier with the results.
-Patrick Vitagliano
Also, Christina (my wife) will be posting later with more details, including a copy of the letter that Noel Lee sent to us, so you have the info from all sides. Again, thank you!