 sj |
||
|
||
Don't buy Monster cables!
|
|
|
Subject: Don't buy Monster cables! From: Grab Date: 20 Jan 05 - 04:07 AM Not sure whether this is BS or not, but it relates to decisions people may make when shopping for gear so I think it probably isn't. There's no technical reason why not. Rather, there's a moral reason why not - Monster Cables are busy suing smaller businesses into the ground over the use of the word "Monster" in their business name! Monster Cables being big and small businesses being small, they'll usually get away with it, bcos small business owners can't afford to stand up to them. To be fair, they're also suing larger companies, like trying to get their cut from the Disney film "Monsters Inc"! But Disney settled for an undisclosed sum, bcos they knew it'd be cheaper than resorting to lawyers. Luckily some guy is doing a legal pre-emptive strike to stop them hitting him, which could be useful for anyone else faced with this kind of junk lawsuit. We've all seen this kind of crap on the go before, but this is the first time I've seen someone in the music-making business try this kind of extortion. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not ever buying their stuff now. Link is here. Graham. |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 20 Jan 05 - 04:30 AM This is typical American Wankerism, as Aussies (and many other nations) see it. No wonder Americans are in danger of not being liked. We have besieged in Australia by US companies wasting time and money engaging in what most Aussies see as nothing but blackmail or extortion allowed by the legal system, sometime brought against companies who started before the US company. I will never buy Monster Cables - They are much dearer than their competitor's anyway! |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: Joe Offer Date: 20 Jan 05 - 04:35 AM Hi, Graham - I think I'll move this thread over to the non-music section. The story has all the trappings of an urban legend, but it looks like it has been extensively covered in the legitimate press. A google search for monster cable lawsuit brings up lots of stuff. I think I'd say it sounds like Monster Cable may have a really dumb legal department, but I'm betting that a lot of nuances got lost in the shuffle somewhere and the company is not the ogre it's made out to be. I mean, lawyers can be dumb - but not THAT dumb. As for the cables, maybe they should be judged on their own merits. I like them, but they sure are overpriced - so I've never acutally paid money to buy any of their stuff. I just use heavier-gauge wire and avoid long cable runs when I can. Monster Cable products seem to be about 10 percent product and 90 percent advertising. So I buy unbranded heavy wire for ten percent of the cost of Monster Cables, and I figure I'm just about equivalent. -Joe Offer- |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 20 Jan 05 - 07:25 AM "10 percent product and 90 percent advertising" - with you 100% Joe... :-) |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: Donuel Date: 20 Jan 05 - 07:36 AM Back in the day I had a friend who started the Cobra cable company. He did very well right from the start. I have no idea what became of him and his wife. No doubt they are either divorced or Republicans or both. |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: Leadfingers Date: 20 Jan 05 - 07:53 AM I cant understand why any one would pay over the odds for cables , when its usually a lot cheaper , if you have a soldering iron , to buy cable and connectors and make your own . |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: robomatic Date: 20 Jan 05 - 08:16 AM Speaker cables are speaker cables. Making people believe that oversizing them will make your system sound better is indeed a triumph of advertising. Whether or not the legal hassles are true, I endorse the thread title. |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 20 Jan 05 - 09:04 AM ... to be only outdone by the 'OFC' rort.... :-) |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: PeteBoom Date: 20 Jan 05 - 09:28 AM I am reminded of the Cease and Desist letter that a local company received. The company was Royce Roller, Co., a small family owned business that started out making spring-loaded rollers (hence the name) for window shades. They branched out some time later into other products, but their bread and butter was window shade rollers. They got some attention nigh on 25 years ago that got picked up by the wire services, and got a letter from Rolls Royce Motors about infringement. Guess who got a letter in response to the effect that if they drop their silly efforts, they won't be counter sued by a company started in the 1880s... The rights and wrongs of lawsuits are simply silly in some instances. Then again, anyone remember Lotus Software? The last 10 years or so they existed their greatest asset was the lawsuit againt Microsoft. They lost that one, too... |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: dwditty Date: 20 Jan 05 - 09:51 AM I have no vested interest, but I had a great buying experience at GigCables.com . The guy, I think his name is Tom, spent lots of time spec-ing out what I needed, and even explained why I did not need more expensive items. Fast service, fair price. I only post this as an alternative to the way-too-high-priced monster cables. By the way, they provided a connector for my guitar (1/4" plug) that automatically cuts the signal when you unplug so switching instruments, etc. does not require a trip ti the PA to turn the sound down. It works great. dw In case the clickie does not work, the URL above is www.gigcables.com |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: Greg F. Date: 20 Jan 05 - 10:34 AM As robomatic sez aboveas far as cables to connect speakers go,(or for that matter, any non-coaxial audio cable) ANY copper wire of appropriate gauge will function the same as any other copper wire of the same gauge. Most coax for non RF uses the same applies. The rest, as they say, is hype. |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: Stilly River Sage Date: 20 Jan 05 - 11:23 AM From the article:
She thought someone was joking with her two years ago when she got a licensing agreement package from Monster Cable suggesting that she pay the wire-maker $1,000 a year and 1 percent of gross sales in exchange for use of the word "monster." She threw the packet out, thinking it was junk mail. Now she has an attorney who estimates legal fees could reach $50,000 in a trademark fight. "We don't have the money to fight this," said West, who named the company after her cat, Monster. "We tried to negotiate with them, but let me tell you, these guys are not nice characters. It's just bizarre. "All we are doing is turning old rags into a decent way to pay the bills. I'd never even heard of Monster Cable before." I guess the cable company is doing it because they think they can get away with it. But there are some words that are so non-unique through the vernacular that they can't be trademarked. I would think this is one of those words. History has shown that companies like Aspirin, that made a pain reliever and analgesic, lost out big time when the company name was used to describe the product and became the common usage. That's why when you read writer's magazines, there are full-page ads from Xerox® and Kleenex® and John Deere® and many others reminding writers to acknowledge their corporate ownership and not use them as general nouns. SRS |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 20 Jan 05 - 01:24 PM Is it safe to use the word "big"? Or has that word been stolen by some crook in a suit? |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: Cluin Date: 20 Jan 05 - 01:28 PM Shielding on the cables is also a fact in their quality. |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: Bert Date: 20 Jan 05 - 01:31 PM OK, I won't buy them. Cluin, shielding is important on some cables but it's not too big a deal on speaker cables. |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: Wesley S Date: 20 Jan 05 - 01:33 PM Hmmm- I remember a magazine from the 60's called "Famous Monsters of Hollywood" that predates the Monster cable co. Shouldn't someone call the magazine so they can get in on the action ? |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: Teresa Date: 20 Jan 05 - 01:49 PM One of my favorite childhood books was "How to Care for your Monster" ... Teresa |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 20 Jan 05 - 05:16 PM "Were I in England now, as once I was, and had but this fish painted, not a holiday fool there but would give a piece of silver: there would this monster make a man; any strange beast there makes a man." (The Tempest Act II, scene II) |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: Bee-dubya-ell Date: 20 Jan 05 - 09:43 PM I wouldn't be surprised if Monster Cable's taking on Disney, even if Disney did settle, will turn around and bite them in the ass sometime in the future. I'm no fan of the Mouse and his minions, but payback can be hell and Disney's a pretty big dog to piss off. And, is the proper legal response to a "Cease and Desist Order" an "Eat Shit and Die" order? |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: Grab Date: 21 Jan 05 - 06:43 AM Fair enough, Joe. Like you say, Monster are pretty expensive. But I've always looked at them in the shops and thought "maybe I'll treat myself to some really good leads one day", and the lead I usually use for guitar is a Monster one (from when I had a few quid spare). But it's no, nay, never, no nay never no more... Graham. |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: Liz the Squeak Date: 21 Jan 05 - 06:44 PM My father in law ran a shopfitting company that got approached by Dolce & Gabbanis (or however it's spelt) over their name... D&G Shopfitting. Dolce were concerned that a small East London shopfitters would be confused with a huge, multi-national fashion store... LTS |
|
Subject: RE: Don't buy Monster cables! From: Morticia Date: 21 Jan 05 - 08:57 PM if you don't buy them, how do you jump-start your monster? |
| Share Thread: |
