Dear Monster Lawyers...

[Cantdosleepy]

[url="http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry-news/blue-jeans-strikes-back"]http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry-n...ns-strikes-back[/url]

A lot of amusing grandstanding from the little guy.

[i]Let me begin by stating, without equivocation, that I have no interest whatsoever in infringing upon any intellectual property belonging to Monster Cable. Indeed, the less my customers think my products resemble Monster's, in form or in function, the better.[/i]

Edited April 16, 2008 by Cantdosleepy

[jakenewmanbass]

Simply brilliant!

[Adrenochrome]

"Back of the net!"

[Kiwi]

Wow, that was utterly amazing. I really wish others stood up to bullying tactics like that, but not everyone is an experienced lawyer.

[wateroftyne]

I wish I had a friend like him...

[The Burpster]

Heard a great joke about Lawyers the other day ........


"what have a lawyer and a sperm got in common?"








































"there is a 1 in 40million chance that one will turn into a human being!

[sk8]

that is top class

[WalMan]

Quite like the comment in the related article

[quote]While we don't speak for Blue Jeans Cable, we'd like to supply an answer on their behalf: "Mwuhahahahaha, haha, haha.. ahem. *cough...."[/quote]

[Kiwi]

we have a couple of lawyers on the forum I believe...

[bassninja]

Go, little guy, go!

[WarPig]

I smile inside when something like this happens.

[MacDaddy]

Will be interesting to follow this one.

[The Funk]

I got half-way through it. They really messed with the wrong guy. I drafted a patent application for the US Patents Office once - bloody nightmare. You have to understand two sets of technical language at once: the legal and the scientific. The head of Blue Jeans Cable clearly understands both. I doubt the in-house lawyers at Monster have the scientific understanding to actually respond.

Edited April 16, 2008 by The Funk

[Shockwave]

So what actually happened after? Did monster back down?

[Lenny B]

Under UK law it's an offence to make groundless threats against someone for trademark and patent infringements - not that this guy needed to add anything to his letter, but it can be a useful thing to throw into the mix!

[s_u_y_*]

More power to the little guy! I am quite appalled that Monster apply such underhand tactics. Needlesstosay, they certainly won't have my custom in the future.

[chris_b]

[quote name='s_u_y_*' post='178400' date='Apr 16 2008, 10:53 PM']More power to the little guy! I am quite appalled that Monster apply such underhand tactics. Needlesstosay, they certainly won't have my custom in the future.[/quote]
+1

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='dlloyd' post='178681' date='Apr 17 2008, 11:15 AM']I'm amazed that anyone would still be using their products.

[url="http://www.fearlessdog.com/posts/2005/01/10/monster-cables-sues-everyone/"]http://www.fearlessdog.com/posts/2005/01/1...-sues-everyone/[/url][/quote]

Bummer! Can't see the link. For some reason, the bods have blocked it...!

[Guest]

[quote]Not only am I unintimidated by litigation; I sometimes rather miss it.[/quote]

What a guy

[WalMan]

A link to another attempt at intimidation [url="http://www.madmartian.com/legal/"]HERE[/url]

Love the examples gleaned to take to court quoted in his response to the apology letter that include:
[quote]Number of times "monster" appears in the script for Young Frankenstein: 185
Number of times Monster Cable Products Inc is referenced in the script for Young Frankenstein: Zero

Number of children who imagined there was a monster under the bed: probably millions
Number of children who imagined there was an audio interconnect cable under the bed: probably none.[/quote]

Good grief look at the list of cases they have pending [url="http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?qt=adv&qs=monster%20cable%20products&page=1"]HERE[/url] - 126!! And against all sorts absolutely nothing to do with audio connects.

Edited April 17, 2008 by WalMan

[Kiwi]

Are they relying on court settlements as a source of income?! I've never heard of such a litigious company!

EDIT: I think some of the demands made by Monster Cable's lawyers are outrageous!

[s_u_y_*]

Do we have a boycott on our hands. I've been spreading the message to other forums.

[Kiwi]

[quote name='s_u_y_*' post='178877' date='Apr 17 2008, 02:35 PM']Do we have a boycott on our hands. I've been spreading the message to other forums.[/quote]
I suggest you be very careful about how you do that if I were you. There's a thing called defamation that can be applied if you're making any untrue claims about them.

[s_u_y_*]

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='178886' date='Apr 17 2008, 02:46 PM']I suggest you be very careful about how you do that if I were you. There's a thing called defamation that can be applied if you're making any untrue claims about them.[/quote]

I'll simply post links to what was said here and reference them. I'll go and quickly edit out what could be seen as defamation. Do you think this is okay? I've tried to be as factual as possible.

[quote][edited]Monster Cables are suing a lot of companies for either having "Monster" in the name or produce high quality cables. Note that some of the companies with "Monster" in the name aren't in the audio industry at all and include everything from Monster Baby, to Monster Security. They are currently in ligitigation with some 126 companies. ([url="http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?qt=adv&qs=monster%20cable%20products&page=1"]http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?qt=adv&...ucts&page=1[/url])

Very recently they started a case against Blue Jeans Cable. Unbeknownst to them, the owner was a lawyer in a previous life and told them their claim was frivilous and was simply a bully tactic to scare off the competition. ([url="http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry-news/blue-jeans-strikes-back)"]http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry-n...s-strikes-back)[/url].

As pointed out in a reply from a [u]Halloween[/u] shop which fought back and won, with Monster Cables agreeing to fork out legal costs, they stated that the word "Monster" existed before the company did, and their copyright of a Halloween store could not possibly infringe on their audio market image. ([url="http://www.madmartian.com/legal/apology_response.htm"]http://www.madmartian.com/legal/apology_response.htm[/url])

[edit][/quote]

Edited April 18, 2008 by Crazykiwi

[Hot Tub]

Thanks for posting this. What an excellent letter! I will not be buying Monster cables in the future.