Monster Cable Shifts Back Into Lawsuit Gear Against Monster Transmission

[admin]

Just when we thought we heard the last of Monster trademark litigations, they’ve defied all logic by attacking one of the last few American companies that actually manufacture their own products - Monster Transmission. After Monster Transmission refused to hand over their name, Monster Cable filed suit and the attorneys are now going to battle. Who knows how long this new case will be dragged out, and how many more will follow. After attacking Disney’s film “Monsters Inc.”, Monster.com, Monster Energy Drink, Timex, Monster Mini-Golf, Discovery Channel and countless others, one has to wonder when will it stop?

Discuss "Monster Cable Shifts Back Into Lawsuit Gear Against Monster Transmission" here. Read the article.

 

[Adam]

Will the madness never end?

I'm not going to throw out the two Monster cables that I own, but I seriously doubt that I will ever buy another one. This stuff annoys me to no end.

 

[ibgarrett]

I took him up on it

He said he would welcome email... Here's what I sent.

I just finished reading the article on Audioholics about how you feel the company is being so wrongly blamed for suiting for trademark infringement. What comes to mind, with all due respect to Shakespeare is "Thou doth protest too much". You certainly have every right to do what you are doing to the extent that you feel is necessary to protect your trademark, however what Monster Cable continues to do is just reckless and irresponsible.

Seriously, the three lawsuits or threats of legal action that I'm aware of off the top of my head include:
Monster Golf
Monster Transmission
Blue Jeans Cables

That's without doing any research whatsoever. I can't imagine what I would find if I actually looked it up.

Seriously - how exactly did Monster Golf or Transmission threaten the trademark of Monster Cable? Basically what I see you doing is using the money you make from your overpriced cables to squash people who are in no way related to your business in any way shape or form. How many employees would a Putt-Putt Golf course actually have? Five? Ten? Are they a chain of Monster Golf putt-putt courses that was somehow encroaching upon the cable business?

I doubt Monster Cable will ever be getting into Transmissions, or anyone would ever correlate the two.

And of course after you sent the lawyers after Blue Jeans... that provided some of the best entertainment about stupid and frivolous lawsuits I think I've ever read. The legal team assembling these attacks certainly didn't do their homework before submitting the cease and desist orders. I wonder why you backed off of that suit? Is it because you ran into someone that actually would come back after your company?

I'm a home theater enthusiast and just finished a major installation in my home, all without a single Monster Cable. Why? It's because of the litigious nature of Monster Cable and what I feel are extremely overpriced products. I make it no secret when I work with other people in speccing out A/V equipment that they should avoid Monster Cable because they are a very poor neighbor in the world of business and that I feel the products are overpriced.

Lastly, I stopped using Monster Cables long before the litigious nature starting coming to life because after purchasing several of your cables and finding them inferior, I just couldn't justify the expense. I had several cables that I purchased where the connectors would literally have cold solder joints, or such little solder to connect the wire to the cable that the cable would separate from the connector with little to no resistance. This just wasn't one cable, but several, purchased over several months.

Good luck with trying to defend Monster Cable, but until things change I will continue to be an advocate against your products.

Brian Garrett

"Always remember, your focus determines your reality." - Qui-Gon to Anakin, Star Wars Episode I

 

[Monster Ted]

Hello this is Ted from Monster. After reading the article I wanted to respond quickly to clarify on this issue.

Monster does not have an issue with Monster Transmission. We advised our outside attorneys several months ago to resolve the matter and they are in the process working that out with Monster Transmission’s attorneys. This case was filed last year, before the Monster Mini Golf Matter was settled. We have learned from our experience with the fallout from the Monster Mini Golf matter that we can be “legally” right in the protection of our trademark, but wrong in the eyes of our customers.

We now know we have to balance protecting trademark rights with the opinion of our customers. We will always consider and value the opinion of our customers.

Thank you.

 

[Alex2507]

Hello this is Ted from Monster. After reading the article I wanted to respond quickly to clarify on this issue.

Monster does not have an issue with Monster Transmission. We advised our outside attorneys several months ago to resolve the matter and they are in the process working that out with Monster Transmission’s attorneys. This case was filed last year, before the Monster Mini Golf Matter was settled. We have learned from our experience with the fallout from the Monster Mini Golf matter that we can be “legally” right in the protection of our trademark, but wrong in the eyes of our customers.

We now know we have to balance protecting trademark rights with the opinion of our customers. We will always consider and value the opinion of our customers.

Thank you.

ADAM !!!

DO IT !!!

 

[jamie2112]

Done Alex........freakin tools. Well its back to letting more people know about this. We all did a great job and I guess we must go a little harder against these Nonsters. Thats it for me gloves are off Nonster cable I officially challange you to a duel. Me and You noel lee out back behind your evil headquarters at 4 oclock tomorrow. Oh wait I have to be here to pick up my MONOPRICE cables that are superior to your crap and 1/10 the price tomorrow afternoon. Oh well you are digging your own grave anyhow. I wish you nothing Nonster..............(insert me giving the finger to Nonster)

 

[mike c]

Hello this is Ted from Monster. After reading the article I wanted to respond quickly to clarify on this issue.

Monster does not have an issue with Monster Transmission. We advised our outside attorneys several months ago to resolve the matter and they are in the process working that out with Monster Transmission’s attorneys. This case was filed last year, before the Monster Mini Golf Matter was settled. We have learned from our experience with the fallout from the Monster Mini Golf matter that we can be “legally” right in the protection of our trademark, but wrong in the eyes of our customers.

We now know we have to balance protecting trademark rights with the opinion of our customers. We will always consider and value the opinion of our customers.

Thank you.

then i would recommend you cease and desist ALL your crazy suits immediately. (not just those we read about)

 

[fast1]

even if monster wins this battle,they already have lost the war.

 

[ibgarrett]

Reply to Ted

From Ted's response - Monster does not have an issue with Monster Transmission. We advised our outside attorneys several months ago to resolve the matter and they are in the process working that out with Monster Transmission’s attorneys. This case was filed last year, before the Monster Mini Golf Matter was settled. We have learned from our experience with the fallout from the Monster Mini Golf matter that we can be “legally” right in the protection of our trademark, but wrong in the eyes of our customers.

Ted - if this were truly the case there would be absolutely nothing to "settle" or "resolve", in fact there never would have even been this case to begin with. It just appears as if you stopped for a little while only to resume to test the waters to see how the consumer base would respond.

Sorry - just not buying it here.

Brian

 

[Adam]

ADAM !!!

DO IT !!!

Unfortunately, I went to bed and Jamie beat me to it. I'll have to try on a freshly born spammer sometime.

 

[scott911]

surley someone used the term monster before the "them"

Surely someone used the term Monster before this worthless cable company started using it... and old comic book, an old B&W tv serial...

I'd love to see someone use the same tactics used by monster cable against them.

There was a 360 degree panoramic imaging company that was a bright star on the internet a few years back. They also took a tactic of trying to sue everone else who was doing anything 360 degree related. Ends up that one of their targets took that same lawsuit, and flipped it one them. They proved previous usage of the technology - and buried the suit happy company - seriously they're out of business now.

 

[jinjuku]

Hello this is Ted from Monster. After reading the article I wanted to respond quickly to clarify on this issue.

Monster does not have an issue with Monster Transmission. We advised our outside attorneys several months ago to resolve the matter and they are in the process working that out with Monster Transmission’s attorneys. This case was filed last year, before the Monster Mini Golf Matter was settled. We have learned from our experience with the fallout from the Monster Mini Golf matter that we can be “legally” right in the protection of our trademark, but wrong in the eyes of our customers.

We now know we have to balance protecting trademark rights with the opinion of our customers. We will always consider and value the opinion of our customers.

Thank you.

Legally in the right? You are deluding yourself. You can only protect yourself from INFRINGING uses.

 

[zhimbo]

We have learned from our experience with the fallout from the Monster Mini Golf matter that we can be “legally” right ...

Friggin' tools. Monster has learned nothing not directly related to their profits.

 

[TRT]

I'm going to mail a check to the transmission company to help with their legal expenses. If they can just buy legal paper or a box of paper clips with the money, I'll feel a whole lot better. I refuse to patronize any establishment that carries stinkster products. That's how much contempt I have for that cable company. Their lawyer's should be disbared.

 

[awesomebase]

Mailing Info

Can somebody please post the mailing address of Monster Transmission so that those that want to support them in their defense both materially and sympathetically can do so? Both email and a regular mailing address would be great. Thanks!

 

[scott911]

I agree with the above comment about the outside attn. At some point, does the "system" get so fed up with them wasting court resources that they are prohibited from filing similiar suit?

Of course, Monster Cable's angle is to bulley people into handing over their lunch money to the bully's that thet are before it reaches court, where I believe they generally lose anyway.

 

[highfigh]

Will the madness never end?

I'm not going to throw out the two Monster cables that I own, but I seriously doubt that I will ever buy another one. This stuff annoys me to no end.

Take them to a scrap yard. At least that way, you get a little money for them.

 

[supervij]

We have learned from our experience with the fallout from the Monster Mini Golf matter that we can be “legally” right in the protection of our trademark, but wrong in the eyes of our customers

Ted, just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.

cheers,
supervij

 

[aarond]

I just want to say thanks to monster; with out the stupidity that they run a business i would have never known about Tartan Cables. i was able to do a complete install in my son's room for about the same price as one crappy monster hdmi cable.

 

[awesomebase]

Time to Change Monster...

Hello this is Ted from Monster. After reading the article I wanted to respond quickly to clarify on this issue.

Monster does not have an issue with Monster Transmission. We advised our outside attorneys several months ago to resolve the matter and they are in the process working that out with Monster Transmission’s attorneys. This case was filed last year, before the Monster Mini Golf Matter was settled. We have learned from our experience with the fallout from the Monster Mini Golf matter that we can be “legally” right in the protection of our trademark, but wrong in the eyes of our customers.

We now know we have to balance protecting trademark rights with the opinion of our customers. We will always consider and value the opinion of our customers.

Thank you.

Ted,
I think your lawyers need an education in mathematics (though they would probably be out of a job if their calculations were honest). The business you're loosing because of these types of law-suits being in the news is far greater than anything financial or intellectual that you hope to gain from the success (as unlikely as it is) of your suit.
Even in one of my first business school classes one of the golden rules was to not pi$$-off your customer base because every customer that is lost to "a bad experience/recommendation" costs at least 8 times as much to gain back as someone brand new. If you don't believe me on that... just look at what the Detroit3 are going through right now...
You would be better served concentrating on product development. I for one never have and now most assuredly never will purchase any of your products. Not only was the flagrant hdmi vs composite staged-demos absolutely spiteful to customers, but creating an issue with a company that has nothing of similarity with your own except one part of its name is repugnant at best and down-right mean-spirited and hateful. If you want to savalge even a shred of hope of gaining anything positive from those of us that actually could potentially use your products or at least are in a position to recommend them to friends, family, neighbors and customers, you should drop these types of law-suits and change course.
I'll get you started; here is an idea... how about actually "liking" your customers and treating them like they're not idiots by making honest claims about the performance of your products... I know its a shot in the dark, but you'll be amazed at how that can improve business... I know it doesn't stand much chance, but hey, I'll still try the recommendation...