Monster Cable's patent over-reach

[radhak]

I had heard from a video store owner once that Monster Cable was trying to become the Microsoft in it's field by eliminating competition the easier way : patenting a lot and litigating a lot.

I had initially thought that was more a joke than an assessment, but have been rethinking that recently; their latest : they served somebody call Blue Jeans Cable with a cease-and-desist. Industry watchers knew this as business-as-usual.

But, seems like they have a tiger by the tail this time. Kurt Denke, CEO, sent them a response and it's a hoot!

Try and read as much as you can (gets pretty technical as the letter progresses, yet always interesting), but definitely read the last 3 paragraphs. I wonder what Monster must be thinking now...!

[LinuxRandal]

Said to me by several friends who are them...........


Never P$$$ off an attorney.......
They have lot's of time!

[pelligrini]

The short interview with Kurt is pretty good too.

[cgallery]

Well, I was threatened with litigation over my doweling jig (http://www.cgallery.com/jpthien/dj.htm). It was a very unpleasant experience.

[cwithboat]

Thank you, that was well worth the few minutes it took to read it. I have always viewed the Monster cable as a joke, because when they first came out with their "low impedance cables" (sometime in the late 70's I think) the guys at Phase Linear (manufacturer of the highest powered amps available at the time) where I worked, actually compared Monster cables to ordinary electrical lamp cord and could find no appreciable difference in the sound quality.

[footprintsinconc]

its good to see that some people will stand and fight it.

rudy, wow! that is unbelievable. so any jig that you can make, you are going to find one similar in the market. if they dont have one today, there will be one tomorrow. so where does it stop? i hope that its over, and they arent pestering you anymore.

[Uncle Cracker]

Classic... Good to see the "little guy" sprout a set. If more did, the big boys would shut up and go back to work. America needs that. It doesn't need to continue as the most litigious nation on the face of the planet. We are losing the economic battle to countries who outwork us, rather than out-sue us...

[JimD]

I have also seen comparisons where plain lamp cord was indistinguishable from expensive speaker wire. I have never seen a blind test where anybody could reliably tell the difference (a blind test is one in which the reviewer does not know what cable is used). Small diameter wire can cause muddy bass but if you use big enough diameter wire, I do not think expensive stuff is any better than cheap stuff.

Given that they are in my view marketing snake oil to start with, filing intimidating lawsuits (and incorporating in Bermuda) is not that surprising. Good to see somebody fighting back. I bet they drop it and move on to the next target. For me it's just more reason to not buy their product.

Jim

[cgallery]

its good to see that some people will stand and fight it.

rudy, wow! that is unbelievable. so any jig that you can make, you are going to find one similar in the market. if they dont have one today, there will be one tomorrow. so where does it stop? i hope that its over, and they arent pestering you anymore.

After making my jig, I posted the results here and two other sites. I was contacted by a manufacturer of a very popular but expensive doweling jig (via PM at other site #1) shortly after posting that I was infringing on his patent. He sent me about four PM's on the matter. I did my best to explain that it was an age-old design, included links to published articles which predated his patent, etc. He just wouldn't budge.

He contacted other site #2 and they removed my post based on his ridiculous claim. I realize these forums are private sites, and can remove any posting(s) they wish. BUT, what troubled me was that they told me they removed it and they were aware of my trouble-making at other site #1. I didn't know what they were talking about, so I asked them for clarification. They provided a link to a thread I never even read, much less posted to. When I brought this to their attention, they told me they were mistaken.

My post at other site #1 was removed when someone posted a question in the thread about whether I was infringing on the same patent. The entire thread kinda fell apart and was ultimately removed.

I'm still sorta bitter over the entire ordeal. Some day I may mass-produce my jig and give them away.

[Rand]

They are definitely selling snake oil. I once suggested to a VP of marketing that instead of buying monster speaker cables he should route slots into his hardwood floors and pour molten copper in them.

anyway here's some good info on the subject:
http://recforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/t/3979/0/

[footprintsinconc]

sorry to hear rudy, another reason why this site is exceptional! btw, put me on the list when you mass-produce

[MilDoc]

There was a blind test of Monster vs store bought no-name cables published years ago. Trained listeners could not successfully tell one from the other.

[cgallery]

There was a blind test of Monster vs store bought no-name cables published years ago. Trained listeners could not successfully tell one from the other.

I've only heard of one double-blind test where a listener was able to accurately determine differences in cables. I believe it was a listening test conducted by some Madisound forum guys. They had get togethers where they demo their shop-built speaker designs to a regional group. At one of these gatherings they had a double-blind test and one of the listeners was able to pretty accurately hear a difference in cables. Although, I don't think it was ever determined whether he had a preference.

But I thought it was interesting.

[MilDoc]

The article I saw was in StereoPhile, but it was quite some time ago.

[avaserfi]

Cables can be audible, if designed in such a way to be audible. This is often the case with certain high end cables that cost an arm and a leg*. With properly designed copper cables there will be no audible difference. If one wants to mimmick a high end cable the best way to do it is with a high quality DSP unit that allows for full customization of a signal in an active fashion rather than using a overpriced cable that does it passively.

*These higher end cables are typically designed in such a way to cause a high frequency roll off.