ThomasW

People may have seen the nonsense regarding Monster Cable legal action's against anyone has the word "monster" in their name.

Here's a list of the law suits Monster Cable is/was involved in. Please note that there are 5 pages of actions listed

This includes little mom and pop used clothing store. A guy with a costume store with a single webpage that had monster in the URL, because that particular wepage was where he showed the monster costumes.

Monster Cable is a law suit machine. Anyone with a conscience should IMO boycott all products sold by that company, Boycott all retailers that sell Monster Cable products (Parts Express excluded of course ), and cancel all subscriptions to publications that accept advertizing for Monster Cable products.

People taking any or all of these actions is asked to notify Monster Cable of your actions, and why you took that action.

Irene Baran, Chief Operating Officer
ibaran@Monstercable.com
Monster Cable Products, Inc.
455 Valley Drive
Brisbane, CA 94005
415-840-2000

David Tognotti, General Counsel
legal@monstercable.com
Monster Cable Products, Inc.
455 Valley Drive,
Brisbane, CA 94005
PH:1.415.840.2000
FX: 1.415.468.0310

Press Contact:
Charles Leib, PR Monster
cleib@monstercable.com
Phone: (602) 300-0900

David Meek

And people wonder why I'm such a cynic.

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Kevin P

I haven't bought a Monster product in years. Not because of the frivilous lawsuits, but because their products are overpriced and mediocre.

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Wife: "Are you on that site hanging out with your home theater nerd friends again?"
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Gordon Moore

Good God, they're going/went after Monster Garage....I don't think I'd be messin' with Jessie James.

He'll turn a Volkswagon beetle into an amoured assult vehicle and bye-bye Monster Cable Inc.

Another interesting thing I noticed is that some of the lawsuits come from Monster Attitude (tm) and Monster Money (tm) which I guess is fitting

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Sell crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here.

purplepeople

Makes you wonder if Noel Lee and Amar Bose are partners?

:)ensen.

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ThomasW

Actually Bose sued Monster for the use of the word "LightWave"

Gorden,

They also went after Monster House. Maybe the Monster house crew could pay Noel Lee a visit at his home .........

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Prozakk

F-monster!

I paid $180 for 2 opticals, & they wouldn't stay in the components. For that price they d*mn well better stay into any components jacks!!!

Chris D

You've got to be kidding me. How can you put a copyright on one common english word? What's next? Are they going to sue Pixar for Monsters Inc? Or sue me if I write in a post that a big amplifier is a monster? Sue Sesame Street for Cookie Monster?

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CHRIS

So I bought a fancy new-fangled flatscreen the other day.
I don't get this new ADHD-TV thing... beautiful resolution, but it keeps changing channels every 15 seconds!

Chris D

Wait, wait wait... I just read the list, and saw that they're suing the Chicago Bears for "Monsters of Midway".

Yeah... not that the Bears have been around for DECADES longer than this little company.

They're also suing Hanna Barbera for a Scooby Doo Episode, "The Monster of Mexico". No, no... they got it all wrong. It's RONSTER, not MONSTER!

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CHRIS

So I bought a fancy new-fangled flatscreen the other day.
I don't get this new ADHD-TV thing... beautiful resolution, but it keeps changing channels every 15 seconds!

purplepeople

Oh my god, they've created a monster! (TM).

:)ensen.

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Danbry39

Great thread!!!

By the way, efforts such as those suggested do work.

One of the suits has been dismissed and an apology from Monster received for launching the suit to begin with. And, why??? Because Monster got a bunch of messages threatening to never buy their products again.

Here's a LINK. to the company that had been sued. Very interesting to read Monster's lawyer's comments as well as Monster's letter of apology. Links to both are at the site I've linked.

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Keith

Danbry39

Also great is the company's response back to Monster. Make SURE you read the last line. It's a hoot. It reads, in part:

I understand your need to protect your trademark. Unfortunately, you chose one of the most commonly used words in the Halloween industry to represent your company. People were having monster nightmares before wire existed. You cannot commandeer the word from the English language. Here is some research I did for my response to the case:

Number of live registered trademarks for the word "monster": 20
Number of live registered trademarks containing the word "monster": 471

Number of domain names containing the word "monster" (domainsurfer.com): 6,619
Number of domain names that start with the word "monster" (domainsurfer.com): 3,303

Number of hits from a search for "monster" on google.com: about 5,950,000
Number of hits from a search for "monster cable" on google.com: about 126,000

Number of hits from a search for "monster shop" without "monster cable" on google.com: 768
Number of hits from a search for "monster shop" with "monster cable" on google.com: 1

Number of books on BarnesandNoble.com resulting from a search for "monster": 5,734
Number of books on BarnesandNoble.com about Monster Cable Products Inc: Zero

Number of movies with "monster" in the title as per IMDB.com: 285
Number of movies with "monster" in the plot description as per IMDB.com: 438
Number of movies with "monster" as a keyword as per IMDB.com: 723
Number of movies about Monster Cable Products Inc: Zero

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.

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Keith

Glen B

Same here. Exactly my sentiments also.

ThomasW

They did, here's a copy of their complaint.

One can see a link at the very bottom of the www.monster.com website as a result of legal action again them by Monster Cable.

If it's published on the web and a URL contains the word "Monster", they file a complaint.

As a joke Steve Eddy registered the name MonsterCableSux.com after he found out that MonsterCable itself registered the name MonsterCableSucks.com.

If several hundred each month people registered a domain name containing the word "Monster" their lawyers would go insane trying to keep up with the legal actions and it would eventually hit the mainstream press. Then Monster's actions would come back and bite them in the *ss ..

Last time this hit the net, MonsterCable got off easy after withdrawing the suit against the costume guy. With the new action against MonsterVintage.com there are numerous websites with threads like this. So Monster is going to get an AMAZING amount of extremely bad publicity. And this time they won't be able to undo the damage....

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aarsoe

Guy's there are many wonderfull things in the US - but your legal system obviously have flaws. The right to sue anyone and everyone is one of them.
So agree - will send them a couple of mails or two.

Oh - and Danbry. Think your wrong about the kids dreaming about cables being zero - I often dream of them... ;-)

brendon

A little off topic but in the same vein,A company in the US is suing Australian manufacturers for using the Ugg boot name .These boots made of sheep skin (and of questionable taste) have been made in Australia for well over twenty years and are a generic name for the boot.A US maker has trademarked the name and is telling the Australian inventors and manufacturers they cant use it any more .
A pox on lawyers where ever they Lurk!!
Brendon

Peterc4c

Somehow, I have this suspesion that the lawyers in question are working on contingencie. Basicly, Monster Cable let the free lawyers go after anybody they want and give them a percent of what ever money they happend to extort from these people.

especially this sentence:
"Monster Cable's Attorney then asked if I could come up with $1000.00. And then went on to say they also required 1% of the gross business yearly income"

I was a victum of that kind of pratice a couple of years ago

Peter

ht_addict

Until your politicians change the laws it's not only Monster who'll sue to protect their name, even if they have to sue the Mom and Pop companies. Monsters only doing what US law allows them. Will these lawsuits influence my decision to buy or not to buy Monster Cable products? NOPE! Just got me a new Monster HTPS7000 last week to go with my Monster AVS 2000.

ht_addict

Lex

EVERYONE, please stay on topic, that means leaving what cables you bought or are planning to buy out of this. The topic is straightforward, please stay on topic. PERIOD.

No exceptions.

ht_addict

Thanks for changing your previous reply that singled me out.

ht_addict

Lex

it was never my intent to single anyone out ht_addict. I many times don't read but what's most current. When you try to keep an eye on the entire forum, sometimes, that is all I have time to do, please keep that in mind in the future when I may respond to something that seems discremenatory. I am not discreminatory, hell, I don't even know how to spell it. I try to treat everyone the same in my responses.

Lex

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That's discriminatory, Lex .

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JOY DIVISION

Monster Cable is not as smart as Bill Gates, since they have not integrated their stuff on electronics at all. They're overpriced and crap out at times, maybe they should bundle their products for people to try, which is obvious that none would be picked up. <comment deleted by admin. While funny, not appropriate for this forum>

H.Donald

The truth about Monster cable is that most anyone who has used one of their products and then tries another brand reaches the common conclusion......
they are over-priced,over-hyped and under-performing.They are aimed at masses who shop at B.B. and C.C.
This is not to say that all their products are terrible,but for same cost and less there is much better.
As for their lawsuits...well they come across like a bunch of mobsters,which is how our laws allows them to be.Remember Spike Lee's lawsuit against the cable network Spike?A judge issued an injuction holding up the start up of an entire network until the case was settled out of court.Spike tv is now on my cable system...and Spike Lee was most likely paid a sum.Apparently he owns the name Spike.So if any of you out there are thinking of naming your dog..don't use Spike.

DrJRapp

Believe it or not Bill Gates tried to copyright the word Windows. Can you just imaging how many law suits that would have generated?

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purplepeople

IIRC, Microsoft was not able to copyright Windows because the terminology was in prior use for the Macintosh OS and even earlier with the Xerox GUI. Even so, the term has become so well known as the Microsoft GUI that one Linux company was forced to change its name from Lindows. Even though the heavyweight won that fight, it's actually a good example of not showing up second with a blatant rip-off name.

Monster Cable's problem is that they've shown up long after Frankenstein, King Kong and Godzilla, who all have a much bigger claim to the word. I'll bet the only reason they keep up the litigation is so that it prevents others from using the name in an advertisement. Eg. Our cable is better than Monster's.

What I want to know is whether www.monster.com can prevent Monster Cable from publicly advertising for employment.

:)ensen.

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Those who claim to be making history are often the same ones repeating it...

Chris D

Hmmm... On HALLOWEEN, I was watching home movies, including one of an old girlfriend in the boxing gym. Man, you should see my EX BOX! (So sweaty, she wasn't a very KLEEN EX) Suddenly, I looked out my WINDOWS and thought I saw a MONSTER. Not, so, though, it was only a black CAT, forecasting my impending DOOM.

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CHRIS

So I bought a fancy new-fangled flatscreen the other day.
I don't get this new ADHD-TV thing... beautiful resolution, but it keeps changing channels every 15 seconds!

purplepeople

A video of a sweaty ex has got to rank as one of the lethal SAF items anyone could own. Are you sure it's safe to even mention it in public?

:)ensen.

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Those who claim to be making history are often the same ones repeating it...

Bing Fung

I can't belive Monster Cables is pulling this crap...

What a POS company

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Bing

My Entertainment Systems

gymguymass

I guess if one is big enough they can "bully" anyone they so choose. As a marketing concept, the name "MONSTER" may be very effective, but I think they chose a word that is far too common. Hopefully common sense will prevail in the courts and Monster Cable will be forced to pay ALL the expenses for the small mom and pop businesses as the case is tossed out of court.

David Meek

I wonder if they've filed on REM for their album Monster?

Because of this kind of mentality, I'll absolutely go as far out of my way as I have to in order to keep from EVER owning any more of Monster's products (I had their in-wall rated speaker cable in my old house).

Je*ks. . . .

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ThomasW

Not politically correct but does express Steve Eddy's view of Monster
<below converted to link by admin, not appropriate for all viewers, nor endorsed by management of this forum>
http://www.q-audio.com/images/monsterthugs.jpg

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bandit788

OMG, I cannot believe what I am reading!!!! Wait a minute, I'm educated, I can!!! We put these people in office, oh, we have no other choice.
Let's see, we can vote:
A.)Lawyer
B.)Lawyer
C.)MovieStar
D.)Lawyer
They have all the Billions, and they make it off of us before they run for office, then they can continue to run for office and insure the survival of the lawyer species by creating laws that alow them to sue for using the word MONSTER!!! I have used this word well before Monster Cable existed. I will buy RatShack and listen to static before I buy Monster, go CatCable!!!!
Shane (Not all lawyer's suck, just most of them)
Disclaimer: Any lawyer reading this who wants to file claim against me for saying you suck, you really don't suck, I meant somebody else!!

audioqueso

I'm going to patent the word "ultra" and sue Monster Cables for using that word in every single piece of their products.