Monster Cable Driving Mini Golf Place Out of Business?

[TLS Guy]

And were back....
(MC Quote)
"5) Wrongful accusations made by Monster Mini Golf.
We have never sued the Chicago Bears. We have not filed 400 lawsuits. We do not
pick on small business, as we are also a small business. We don’t like lawsuits any
more than any other company, and don’t like spending money on attorneys, especially
considering the current economy."

(MMG Response)
Ya got me here. They are correct in that they haven't "Sued" over 400 companies. The correct term for what they have done is "Opposed" them, not sued them, and that was enough for the majority of them to have backed down and surrendered their names voluntarily, avoiding the ugly and expensive suits, which are reserved for a much smaller group of people who don't back down.
So yes, it's true, "Opposed" would be the accurate term. Want to see the list? Get your reading glasses on, it's a LONG one. Click the following link for details straight from the USPTO's website detailing case for case, ALL of the companies that MC has......"Opposed", is it fair to say the USPTO's list is accurate, and not a "wrongful accusation"?
(Enjoy it!)
-Patrick Vitagliano

http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?q...=&pn2=&cop=&cn

Let's tackle number 6, shall we?

(MC Quote)
"6) We want to end this lawsuit as much as anyone.
We have made many overtures of a very very inexpensive licensing arrangement to
Monster Mini Golf which would allow them to use the name, while at the same time
keep our trademark rights intact. They refused, so we had no option but to file a
lawsuit. Monster Mini Golf can easily avoid the costs of a lawsuit, and save everyone
time and money if they would license the mark at very little cost to them, and a
fraction of the cost of a lawsuit. They already charge their franchisees for the license,
so it would be already built in to the price. We are working with their attorneys to try
to settle this to everyone’s satisfaction."

(MMG Response)
I wholeheartedly believe MC when they say they want to end it as much as anyone. Arguably, MORE than anyone, as the massive outpouring of letters that I've seen, documenting their customer base jumping ship in droves has GOT to have a dollar value to it, right? (And I only speak of the ones that the authors were kind enough to send us) Of course they want it to end, as it appears (as a wise man once said) that they've "Stepped in ****".
As for the offers that they describe as "at very little cost" to us, I talked about that earlier, and don't need to go down that road again, but I will say this........Hypothetically, even if they offered "No Cost" license agreement, the fundamental problem is not the cost, it's the LICENSE AGREEMENT! HELLO????? Are we glossing over the fact that it has to start with US signing over OUR name to you????
THE USPTO GRANTED OUR MARKS, because THEY felt that there was no likelihood of confusion between us, and the 400(plus or minus) other "Monster" marks in use in commerce already, regardless of ownership. Yes, that's right, they granted our marks. YOU opposed them, and have been doing so for over a year, and when we didn't cave, you filed suit.
We shall defend to the death, as we believe that fundamentally, the USPTO would not have granted our marks in the first place if there were indeed a "Likelihood of confusion".
Amen.
-Patrick Vitagliano
Stay tuned boys and girls......More to come!
And that brings us to number 7....

(MC Quote)
"7) Corporate Bully?
It’s important to note that we are not some gigantic corporate bully as portrayed. We
are also a small company with a great culture, still family owned with 500 employees
in Brisbane California. We are not a public company with deep pockets. It’s not
inconceivable that Monster Mini Golf could exceed the reach of Monster Cable with
the trademark of Monster. You can come to our web site to meet the Monsters,
www.monstercable.com.
Below is a more thorough explanation with lots more details, but we thought that it
was necessary for us to explain the entire picture before anyone passes judgment on
our company or our actions."

(MMG Response)
You know, it's funny, but in four years, the entire combined gross income of all of our companies combined totaled around 1.6 million dollars, which is an average of around $400,000. per year gross. (Net profit is another story all together, and is MUCH less, and mostly reinvested)
Yet, in item 1, (remember item 1?) Noel tried to convince you that WE were NOT a mom & pop, but a national corporate entity, selling franchises coast to coast, blablabla.....
Now, just a few pages later, flipflops, and tries to convince you that his (rumored) $400 MILLION dollar per year company is actually the harmless mom & pop entity. He can't have it both ways.

Let's take a moment to reflect on this shall we?
Noel, $400,000,000.00 is rumored to be your companies annual gross, (Noel, can you please confirm or deny this rumor?) which is roughly 1,000 times our annual gross.
We've seen arial photos of what is rumored to be your sprawling CA estate, we rent an apartment.
You are rumored to have a collection of 53 exotic sports cars, some which cost more than the average home, (Is this true Noel?) We drive a 2005 escalade, which we bought used, and have a 6yr note on. We love it, and will continue to make our payments, and we consider this 4yr old gas guzzler an extravagance that we've earned.
You spend an enormous amount of money each year on "Legal" expenses, opposing smaller companies and forcing them into settlement, have an IN-House legal department, and while you may not have "Sued" 400 companies, you have sued some, and you are currently suing us.
We have never sued anyone. Ever. In fact, the most we've ever spent on legal, is what we have been forced to spend fending off your vicious attack.

So before you tell the world that you are not a "deep pocketed" company, or try to pass yourselves off as a loving, caring, family organization, while simultaneously trying to paint US as corporate giants, please take a long hard look in the mirror, and at your lifestyle as it compares to ours.
Diana Ross is playing your private party this year. (Enough said?)
You should be proud of the empire you've built, as for the most part, (as it pertains to cables) you've earned it.
You don't need to take the one we are attempting to build. We do realize that in an increasingly wireless world, that there must be pressure to diversify into other fields, or risk becoming irrelevent, but conquering the weak is somewhat of a dictator move, and dictators have been generally frowned upon throughout history.
We truly don't know how you sleep at night, but I'm glad that the general public will have the chance to read both sides and make their decisions about our respective companies.
Good evening sir.
-Patrick Vitagliano
So there you have it, our personal responses to all seven of their positions. Now, both sides of the story is officially out there for all to see.
Once again, we thank all of you for your time, support, and interest in this matter, it is greatly appreciated.

You are right about that! It's a long one. I received this Email today from the Head Monster and the Monster lawyers.

Here is my reply: -

Dear Head Monster,

Thank you for the courtesy of your reply concerning my objections to your immoral business practices.

I'm not impressed at all with your arguments, those of your legal counsel, or any of the others trying to protect names of common nouns, such as apples, virgins, bays and monsters.

We have here just one of the many problems driving our nation to ruin. Lawyers are the very scum of the Earth, and here is just one of many reasons why.

Obviously one of the first items of business for the next administration and congress is to stop this racket. Your whole argument flies in the face of the common prudent man response.

Now I ask you, if I have an apple orchard, and call my apple growing business the Oregon's Rosiest Apples, who in the hell but a lunatic half wit is going to confuse my company with a computer company?

It is the same with these sports companies. You only got these sports companies with Monster in their name to come under your umbrella by intimidation and fear. No one is going to confuse any sporting company with a cable company.

Obviously there needs to a drastic change in law. I will make my representatives aware of this nonsense.

Clearly this is one more chink combining with others too numerous to count, driving us to ruin. Your position is immoral which ever way you slice it. It is immorality that is at the bottom of the pickle we find ourselves in. Your activities and those of others you site are good examples.

This sort of nonsense just has to be stopped, or there will be revolution in the air.
Yours Truly, Mark Carter MD

 

[MonsterMiniGolf]

One more thing...

One important thing I wanted to add to his "We want to end this lawsuit as much as anyone" comment.....

Noel,
You say you "Want to end this lawsuit as much as anyone", it's quite simple actually, end it.
Let us not forget, YOU are attacking, WE are defending. It's easy for the attacker to suggest that his prey simply stop defending themselves, but that's a bit lopsided. You hold all the cards here. You want it to end? Stop attacking.
-Patrick Vitagliano

 

[jinjuku]

One important thing I wanted to add to his "We want to end this lawsuit as much as anyone" comment.....

Noel,
You say you "Want to end this lawsuit as much as anyone", it's quite simple actually, end it.
Let us not forget, YOU are attacking, WE are defending. It's easy for the attacker to suggest that his prey simply stop defending themselves, but that's a bit lopsided. You hold all the cards here. You want it to end? Stop attacking.
-Patrick Vitagliano

Patrick,

Noel Lee is like a bully that has had his way for too long. The problem he now faces is that he is picking on a kid and doesn't see the punch coming that is going to knock his lights out for him.

It is true myopia. He really can not see the forest for the trees. I thought MC strong arming a company that makes BREATH MINTS about the most abusive action out there.

 

[MonsterMiniGolf]

Definition:

I almost forgot to point out what could be the creepiest part of Noel's 16 page personal response......where he signs the letter,

"Monstrously Yours",
Noel Lee

I looked up the word Monster in the dictionary, and among other things, here is a cut and paste of some of the definitions I found....

freak: a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed
a cruel wicked and inhuman person
(medicine) a grossly malformed and usually nonviable fetus

We use the word Monster descriptively, to describe the hideous beasts that inhabit our facilities.

Noel (The self titled "Head Monster") uses the word......to describe himself.

Does this strike anyone else as some sort of self-fulfilling prophecy?

-Patrick Vitagliano

 

[smurphy522]

A monsterous email response

This is the first part of an email response I got from Noel:

"Thanks for your viewpoint. Given the information that you have, I don’t blame you for being upset, but what you’ve read or been told is not the whole story. There have been a lot of false accusations and misinformation spread by the Monster Mini Golf people that are half-truths. One also needs to consider other important information in getting a balanced viewpoint.

1) Monster Mini Golf Misconceptions;
Monster Mini Golf would like to disguise themselves as a small Mom and Pop business, but they are in fact a national organization selling franchises with the Monster trademark. They currently have 24 franchise locations across 10 states stretching from California to New Jersey. They have filed for several “Monster” marks, including “MONSTER” by itself , MONSTER MINI GOLF, MONSTER FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT CENTERS and MONSTR MINI GOLF in an area of business where we have established trademarks awarded by the United States Patent and Trademark office. They charge franchise and set up fees upwards of $200,000, part of which is the licensing of the name “Monster:” to all of those franchises. Check their website http://www.monsterminigolf.com/cost_breakdown.html

2) Monster Cable as been awarded many marks by the Patent and Trademark office that we have to protect that go far beyond cables.
Many may think that we are only Monster Cable. Over the past 30 years we do business with many Monster marks. We have been awarded 100 registered Monster trademarks in 12 different classes by the Patent and Trademark office, most of which are used with products with smaller sales than Monster Cable, but this doesn’t mean we don’t have the rights to them or the obligation to protect those rights. All of these trademarks predate Monster Mini Golf’s application for trademark, which has not yet been granted. These are our Monster trademarks.

Monster Mints. Monster Power. Monster Game. Monster ScreenClean. Monster Performance Car. Monster Music. Monster Pro. Monster Central. or Monster Sport. The name “Monster” are registered trademarks owned by us in the categories of electronics, music, games, food product, entertainment, cleaning products. The list of all of Monster’s current marks that we have to defend are listed below. More facts. 30 years ago, the Patent and Trademark office granted Noel Lee the name “Monster”, exclusive of the name “cable”. Although we tried to trademark Monster Cable it was not permitted.

3) Monster is obligated to defend its marks or risk losing them.
We do not like suing. It is expensive for both parties and is a last resort. It’s our obligation under the Patent and Trademark law to enforce our marks, or lose them. As noted in the link cited below, “companies who tolerate infringing uses of their mark risk losing all their rights in the mark if a third party challenger claims the company abandoned their mark by not enforcing it. Thus, companies cannot pick and choose against whom they are going to enforce their mark.” http://www.marklaw.com/trademark-glossary/confuse.htm. Famous marks that have been lost in the past because they become generic are such words as “aspirin,” “thermos,” and “elevator.” Both Xerox and Kleenex are examples of brands that were lost and it cost the companies a lot of money and time to re-establish their marks. Monster is in the same danger of losing our mark if we don’t enforce it.

4) Monster must defend its marks just as other well respected companies have done so.
Monster needs to defend our mark just as Apple, Virgin, Ebay, Amazon or other companies who have developed their marks must do so. These companies are within their legal rights to protect their marks as provided for by the Patent and Trademark office. See Examples below.

Apple, Inc.

Apple has also enforced against a number of people who have used the word “POD” as a trademark. For example: MEDPOD, LONPOD, CONTROLPOD, BACPOD, VIDEO POD, SPYPOD, MYPODDER, PODPRESENTER). See attached pdf. You can view more, by clicking the link to the U.S. Patent and Trademark website: http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?qt=adv&procstatus=All&pno=&propno=&qs=&propnameop=&propname=&pop=&pn=apple+computer&pop2=&pn2=&cop=&cn= In 2008 Apple filed an opposition in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office against New York City's "Big Apple" logo for the GreenNYC.initiative. (http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?pnam=NYC & Company, Inc.) Apple also filed an opposition against Green Apple Music Arts & Festival for use of an apple in their logo and the word Apple for music event. See attached pdf.

Ebay, Inc.

Ebay has an active trademark enforcement program for the word “BAY.” Ebay has proceeded against a number of people who have used the word BAY as a trademark. For example: XS BAY, PENNY BAY, HELPU BAY, RIDEBAY, EVERYTHINGBAY, ONEBAY, FREEBAY, TELEBAY, SWAYBAY, FONEBAY). See attached pdf. You can view more, by clicking the link to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website: (http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?qt=adv&procstatus=All&pno=&propno=&qs=&propnameop=&propname=&pop=&pn=ebay&pop2=&pn2=&cop=&cn=)

Virgin Enterprises, Inc.

Richard Branson’s company, Virgin, vigorously enforces the word “VIRGIN.” Virgin has proceeded against a number of people who have used the word VIRGIN as a trademark, including: WILD VIRGIN, VIRGIN PINE NATIVE SHEEP BLUE, EXTRA VIRGIN, VIRGINAL CLOTH, BARELY VIRGIN COCKTAILS, VIRGIN SOIL, VIRGIN TURBAN, VIRGIN YOGURT, VIRGIN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, CALIVIRGIN, VIRGIN EYES). See attached pdf. You can view more, by clicking the link to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website: http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?qt=adv&procstatus=All&pno=&propno=&qs=&propnameop=&propname=&pop=&pn=virgin+enterprises&pop2=&pn2=&cop=&cn=

Amazon.com



Amazon enforces its "AMAZON" trademark and opposes people who use it or variations. Amazon has proceeded against people who have used trademarks such as: AMAZON TAXI, AMAZON VENTURES, PRINT AMAZON, AMAZON THUNDER DRINK, AMAZN INFO, AMAZON BANK, etc. See attached pdf. You can view more, by clicking the link to the USPTO website.

http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?qt=adv&procstatus=All&pno=&propno=&qs=&propnameop=&propname=&pop=&pn=amazon&pop2=&pn2=&cop=&cn=

Over the past 30 years we have built many “Monster” brands over many product categories, we believe that we have achieved a “famous mark” in our name of Monster. So Monster Mini Golf is no different than Yahoo Mini Golf, or Microsoft Mini Golf, or Apple Mini Golf, because the “origin” may be unclear. Could the origins be confused with one of the many marks that we have? We believe so.

At the end of the day, we are asking the courts to decide our rights to our trademarks. It won’t be our decision, it will be the court’s and judges.

5) Wrongful accusations made by Monster Mini Golf.
We have never sued the Chicago Bears. We have not filed 400 lawsuits. We do not pick on small business, as we are also a small business. We don’t like lawsuits any more than any other company, and don’t like spending money on attorneys, especially considering the current economy.

6) We want to end this lawsuit as much as anyone.
We have made many overtures of a very very inexpensive licensing arrangement to Monster Mini Golf which would allow them to use the name, while at the same time keep our trademark rights intact. They refused, so we had no option but to file a lawsuit. Monster Mini Golf can easily avoid the costs of a lawsuit, and save everyone time and money if they would license the mark at very little cost to them, and a fraction of the cost of a lawsuit. They already charge their franchisees for the license, so it would be already built in to the price. We are working with their attorneys to try to settle this to everyone’s satisfaction.

7) Corporate Bully?
It’s important to note that we are not some gigantic corporate bully as portrayed. We are also a small company with a great culture, still family owned with 500 employees in Brisbane California. We are not a public company with deep pockets. It’s not inconceivable that Monster Mini Golf could exceed the reach of Monster Cable with the trademark of Monster. You can come to our web site to meet the Monsters, www.monstercable.com.

Below is a more thorough explanation with lots more details, but we thought that it was necessary for us to explain the entire picture before anyone passes judgment on our company or our actions.

Monsterously,

Noel Lee

The Head Monster"

 

[smurphy522]

A monsterous email response #2

I am not supporting Monster Cable in any way but I feel that all of the sides should be shown and to be fair I am posting this and my previous post.

This is the second part (really a summary):

"Summary of the Facts Behind the Monster Mini Golf Lawsuit.

1) Monster Mini Golf is not a small “mom and pop” shop as they would have you believe, but a “limited liability company” selling Monster Mini golf franchises across the nation. Currently, Monster Mini Golf has 24 franchise locations across the U.S. in 10 states from California to New Jersey. You can see this for yourself on their website (www.monsterminigolf.com). Furthermore, Monster Mini Golf charges franchise and set-up fees upwards of $200,000. This is a company that is making money by licensing our "Monster" brand.

2) Monster Mini Golf is using and has attempted to register several "Monster" trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. They have attempted to register MONSTER, MONSTER MINI GOLF, MONSTER FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT CENTER and MONSTR MINI GOLF. Their trademark use infringes our prior established trademark rights. More specifically, Monster is protecting our rights for our trademarks MONSTER GAME and MONSTER in the area of recreational entertainment, which is one of the trademark classes where we have been awarded trademarks by the USPTO.

3) Most people think of us as just a cable company. However, our business interests are much more diverse then most realize. Most people do not realize that we own a range of “MONSTER” marks beyond simply “MONSTER CABLE.” We have registered and common law trademarks for MONSTER in various classes of goods, including cleaning products, power, clothing, batteries, food products, furniture, gaming, recreational services, sporting goods, sporting events, music, entertainment, automotive products, just to name a few. In fact, you can see a list of our various “MONSTER” marks and types of goods going outside merely cable at the end of this letter.

4) We already had rights to MONSTER and MONSTER GAME in the field of participatory recreational entertainment and goods, before Monster Mini Golf adopted a confusingly similar set of marks. Monster owns the mark MONSTER GAME for certain recreational sporting activities. These rights arose from use in commerce as far back as 1991. Monster also has rights to the mark MONSTER for outdoor sporting goods such as golf clubs by virtue of a license to a partner, whose use began in early 2004. Given this priority of rights, Monster has the right to seek a court decision on whether a consumer would be likely be confused and think that there is an affiliation with Monster’s own trademarks and activities. Given the closeness of the marks (both parties marks containing “Monster”) and uses (both parties in the recreational entertainment/goods), we believe the answer is “yes.”

5) If we don’t protect our MONSTER trademarks, we risk losing the rights altogether.

This is an aspect of the trademark laws in the U.S., that those who have famous brands must comply with. Enforcement actions are taken generally when others use a trademark including the term “Monster” for goods or services in similar market segments or trade channels in which Monster Cable owns prior rights. To understand the likelihood of confusion standard better (and note that both parties here use MONSTER (single word) in recreational entertainment), see http://www.marklaw.com/trademark-glossary/confuse.htm.

6) In order to avoid losing our MONSTER trademarks, Monster has a trademark protection program against others who create a likelihood of confusion with its trademarks. Our protection of our brand is no different than Apple Computer protecting its "Apple" or "Pod" brands, Virgin protecting its “Virgin” brand , Ebay protecting its "Bay" brand or Amazon.com protecting its "Amazon" brand. In fact, our protection program is similar to what is used by these companies; we have listed a few of these references for you below:

7) We are not a corporate giant. We are still a family company, owned and run by our founder, Noel Lee. He started our company in his parent's garage 30 years ago with a dream to build, create and innovative high quality products that consumers love - that is still our goal. We do not seek to profit off of lawsuits. In fact, they are very costly. We sue to protect our intellectual property from infringement, not to make money. Unfortunately, this is a necessary cost doing of business when you are a successful industry leader and you have a popular and well known consumer brand.

9) We are not a "corporate bully" that uses litigation against companies. We don't target small businesses. We don't focus on the size of a company before suing them. We focus on whether or not their activity is (or has the chance to) harm our company's trademarks or confuse our customers. We do confront companies that purposefully infringe our patents and trademarks. Our intellectual property protection program is reasonable and necessary to protect our intellectual property from misuse by others. We have invested an extraordinary amount of time, money and effort over the last 30 years to innovate new products and designs, and build the Monster brand. It is wrong for companies to leverage our hard work and investment for their own gain. It is unfortunate that so many companies try to build their businesses by copying other companies' innovations and brands - rather than spending the time, effort, and money to innovate on their own.

10) We do not like suing companies. We do not file a lawsuit without having a compelling legal and business reason to do so, and only after giving the infringing party ample warning and sufficient opportunity to resolve the matter on reasonable terms. A lawsuit is a last resort option as everyone except the attorney loses.

11) We dislike frivolous lawsuits as much as the next person, and would never engage in a lawsuit that was frivolous or without merit. They are a waste of the public’s money, and the time of the parties involved. In fact, the courts do not allow "frivolous" lawsuits to proceed. The courts have procedural safeguards to eliminate frivolous lawsuits, as well as penalties (like Rule 11) that can be levied against attorneys and parties who bring such suits. We have never been accused by a court of filing frivolous lawsuits.

There are tens of millions of Monster fans who love our company and love our products. Our company and employees' passion and unrelenting drive to innovate and create the highest quality products is well known in the industry and with consumers. Where most companies find out how to take quality out of something to reduce costs, we find how we can "improve" products and make them the best of class. That’s why our customers love Monster products.

I hope this information helps. We value you as a customer, and hope you stay with us. We feel that our product quality and innovation is second to none, and would like for you to continue to enjoy your music and video in the best way possible.

If you would like to talk with me about this, or if this email does not answer your questions, please email me at truth@monstercable.com, or feel free to call me by phone.

Sincerely,

David Tognotti

General Manager

Direct: 415-840-2109

Toll Free: 877-800-8989 x2109"

 

[MonsterMiniGolf]

I addressed Each and every one of Noels seven points earlier in this post.

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50142&page=2

I'm glad the general public will now have a chance to fairly see both sides of the story and make an educated decision.
-Patrick Vitagliano

 

[jwenthold99]

I received the form email response as well. I was very surprised that I actually received a response. I will say I am not impressed at all with their points or arguments, and the whole lie about not going after small businesses was quite funny.

 

[jinjuku]

There's a saying in the legal profession: You bring your liars, we'll bring ours.

Again: MC will let this go when it hits the tipping point and all this publicity turns business negative.

Mr. Lee's and Mr. Tognotti's response at the very least lets the public know that some of the blows are quite indeed landing. I would be the first to champion them if they actually had a case. I run my own business, I know I have to protect myself. But this is just ridiculous.

Their response follows the F.U.D method:

(F)ear
(U)ncertainty
(D)oubt

It is chaff, a smoke screen. It is to throw so much out there that you lose sight of the base, salient FACTS of the lawsuit.

Between what Mr. Tognotti told me this morning, and what Mr. Denke just let me know. There is a huge discrepancy:

Mr. Tognotti maintains that there has been correspondence between MC and BJC regarding MC's April 1st 2008 inquiry. Mr. Denke (barring anything just being sent out) has had no contact (either him or counsel).

What am I supposed to make of you Mr. Tognotti? You have more onus to back up what you told me vs Mr. Denke due simply to your reputation.

 

[sitting_duck]

Sick of it

It is very rare to find something that crosses cultural and political boundaries to unite people. The one positive thing about this lawsuit is that no matter where people are from and what religious or political belief system people subscribe to, it seems that EVERYONE agrees that this lawsuit is a waste of time and utterly ridiculous. EVERYONE agrees that Monster Cable is taking advantage of the legal system. EVERYONE agrees that Monster Cable is using its money and “power” to push people around. That is, everyone with the exception of Noel Lee and his minions. Only they agree with what they are doing. Well, we will not stand for it! You will not stand for it! This is just the tip of the iceberg. Noel Lee said that they have to pick and choose their battles. He picked and chose too many. Now all of us are sick of it! So thank you Mr. Lee for uniting all of us to stand up for everyone who was ever picked on, bullied, taken advantage of and whatever else. Thank you for being the example of THAT bully we can ALL stand up against.

 

[markw]

Agree

Now all we need to do is convince the judge and jury.

The crux of the matter is simply "Can one company own a word that has been in the common vocabulary for years before the company?"

If so, I got dibs on "New and Improved"

 

[MatthewB.]

I say you write a letter to the survivng family members of Mary Shelley and have them countersue Monster for blatent stealing of a copyrighted namesake. It was after all Frankensteins "Monster" that was popular and not Dr. Frankenstein himself.

Hell has a special place for people like Noel Lee. I mean the fact that he tried to sue a childrens charity to stop using the word Monster is ridiculous. I hope one of the stipluations in your defending yourself if found not guilty is that Monster Cable cannot sue anybody unless Monster and Cable is sued in conjenctiion with each other.

These pithy lawsuits are insane and Monster Cable should be ashamed of themselves. Seriously a childrens charity.

 

[Milo Toll]

Monster Mini Golf going to CES!

I just heard from someone that knows the guys over at Monster Mini Golf that they are planning a big appearance at CES! I hope someone finally brings those bloodsucking greed mongers down. You go! Hey, for that matter do they need any roadies? I'm up for a road trp to Vegas! Isn't that the same weeekend at the Adult film Awards Show?

 

[MatthewB.]

I loved the end of the letter that Noel Lee sent to Audioholics (see link)

http://www.audioholics.com/news/press-releases/monster-cable-responds-a-message-from-noel-lee

Where Noel lists the companies he has copyrights to. You can tell he has copyrights to these names becasue he threatened to sue them and they gave in to his demands. So now he lists them as being his property.

MonsterBuicks, I mean really, when did Noel Lee get into design and production of Buicks.

 

[Jack Hammer]

...MonsterBuicks, I mean really, when did Noel Lee get into design and production of Buicks.

Might want to re-read that one. It's Monster Bucks, as in money, not Monster Buicks, as in cars. That's one of the few names I could actually see them legitimately using, unlike a lot of other names they've (mis)appropriated.

Jack

 

[sitting_duck]

Ces

Diana Ross is playing for Noel Lee at CES. I wonder if she is aware of Mr. Lee's lawsuit habit. If not, I will try to let her know. Here is her PR reps email; agiella@dba-pr.com .

 

[MonsterMiniGolf]

New Press!

Got some new press!

The World Trademark Review in London published a brief this morning, here is the link!

http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/daily/Detail.aspx?g=ca80519d-73a7-48f8-9fbb-cd070a1c018f

Every little bit helps.
-Patrick Vitagliano

 

[MatthewB.]

Dang my eyes and this small laptop monitor. Your right it does say "Bucks" but still doesnt negate the fact that there are items on that list that Noel Lee had no involvement with in any way shape or form.

 

[MonsterMiniGolf]

Wait, there's more....

I was surfing around this morning, through the seemingly neverending information available on Monster Cable's long history of controversy, and I found these two sites that I thought were worth mentioning.

Untitled Document (the forum edited the title here, but I believe the link does work)

http://monstercableworkers.blogspot.com

It really is a vast sea of negative information that they seem to have accumulated over the years, and the internet seems to be making the world just a little bit smaller.
As always, thank you for all of your support, and please keep spreading the word. Together, our collective little voices are actually amounting to a very big voice, and we ARE making a difference!
-Patrick

 

[MonsterMiniGolf]

Can you guys imagine a Monster Mini Golf cart driving thru the isles at CES, with a clone of Noel Lee on the steering wheel, with a big sign above saying:

we make golf carts for human beings and monsters, just like the driver!

Wish you all the best at CES

Regards, Chuck

That would indeed be funny, as would the coat hanger challenge that someone posted earlier....but what we are planning for CES going to be a WHOLE LOT more high profile, we promise it will be taken to a public level that they have not yet experienced!
(While we won't give any details, or do anything to spoil the element of surprise, I will say for the record that everything planned is safe and legal.)
-Patrick