Monster Cable Products
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Consumer Electronics |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Headquarters | Brisbane, California |
| Key people | Noel Lee, Founder, CEO |
| Products | Cables, HDMI Cable, Headphones, Audio equipment |
| Employees | 600+ |
| Website | www.monstercable.com |
Monster Cable Products Inc. owns the Monster Cable brand of consumer audio and video cable, which is primarily used to connect audio and video components. The company produces consumer electronics accessories including audio and video cables, headphones, speakers, remotes and power conditioner equipment accessories under names including Monster Power, Monster Mobile, Monster Performance Car, Monster Game, Monster Photo, M•Design, and (until the end of 2012) Beats Electronics.
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History[edit]
Monster Cable Products (Monster) was founded in San Francisco in 1979 by Noel Lee.
The company is based today in Brisbane, CA, and has additional offices in Ennis (Ireland), London, and Hong Kong. The company employs approximately 650, with most of them located at its US headquarters. The company is privately held, and therefore does not publish its sales figures; however, industry sources estimate its annual revenue to be around US$500 million.[1] Monster Cable Products, Inc. is currently incorporated in California.[2]
Products[edit]
The Monster Cable brand of consumer speaker and signal audio and video cables, is primarily used to connect audio and video components. The company produces consumer electronics accessories including audio and video cables, headphones, speakers, remotes and power conditioner equipment accessories under names including Monster Power, Monster Mobile, Monster Performance Car, Monster Game, Monster Photo, M•Design, and (until the end of 2012) Beats Electronics.
Monster Headphones[edit]
In 2008, Monster Cable entered the audio headphone business by creating a new headphone line called Beats by Dr. Dre, in partnership with Dr. Dre.[3]
In January 2012, Monster Cable and Beats Electronics dissolved the partnership, although the manufacturing agreement would not expire until the end of 2012. Monster introduced its own line of Monster-branded headphones at the CES trade show that same month.[1][4]
Pricing and performance[edit]
Monster Cable and similar "boutique" cables are a substantial source of revenue for retailers of electronics such as DVD players and TVs. While the profit margins of DVD players and TVs may be low, the profit margins of Monster Cables and similar products provide supplemental revenue for these retailers. Employees of such retailers are trained to market and bundle Monster Cable and similar products so as to increase profitability.[5]
Nevertheless, various reviews have reported that listeners and viewers are unable to tell a difference between substantially higher-priced Monster cables and inexpensive cables.[6][7][8] In addition, some opinions differ as to whether cable quality makes a difference for short runs of digital cables, such as using HDMI cables to connect a set-top box to one's television.[9] Another reviewer concluded that "16-gauge lamp cord and Monster [speaker] cable are indistinguishable from each other with music."[10]
Trademark and patent protection controversy[edit]
Monster Cable has aggressively protected its name and trademark by opposing applications for registrations for marks that include the term "MONSTER" at the United States Trademark Office. In addition, lawsuits have been filed in a number of cases.[11] Monster Cable CEO Noel Lee defended these actions by saying "We have an obligation to protect our trademark; otherwise we'd lose it."[11] Monster Cable owns many trademarks[12] and patents[13] listed with the US Office of Patents and Trademarks.[14]
In 2009 after receiving numerous comments from consumers in relation to the Monster Mini Golf dispute Monster Cable CEO Noel Lee stated on Fox Business News that Monster Cable has to balance what it does in trademark protection with what the public thinks it should do.[15]
Monster Cable's more controversial disputes include:
- Monster Vintage, small used clothing store [11]
- Monsters, Inc., an animated feature film[11]
- Monster Garage, a television series[11]
- Monsters of the Midway, a nickname of the Chicago Bears football team [11]
- Fenway Park's Monster seats [11]
- Monster Energy, energy drinks [11]
- Monster.com employment website [11]
- Monster Mini Golf[16][17]
On April 1, 2008, Monster Cable sent a cease and desist letter to Blue Jeans Cable,[18] claiming infringement on certain patents[13] owned by Monster Cable. The owner of Blue Jeans Cable, Kurt Denke, previously a litigation lawyer, responded with a letter detailing flaws and shortcomings in the allegations of patent infringement, adding "Not only am I unintimidated by litigation; I sometimes rather miss it."[19]
Monster Mini Golf[edit]
In 2006 Monster Cable brought suit against Monster Mini Golf, a company selling franchise Mini Golf locations throughout the US. After legal battles and a lengthy dispute, the owners of Monster Mini Golf launched a grassroots campaign against Monster Cable on the Internet. After receiving more than 200 complaints from the public, Monster Cable dropped the lawsuit and agreed to pay up to $200,000 of Monster Mini Golf's legal fees.[20] After the settlement Monster Cable CEO Noel Lee and Monster Mini Golf founder Christina Vitagliano filmed a video interview discussing the dispute and resolution.[21]
Candlestick Park Sponsorship[edit]
On September 28, 2004 the company purchased the naming rights to the San Francisco 49ers stadium at Candlestick Park, and it was named Monster Park. The naming rights deal expired in 2008 and the name has reverted to Candlestick Park.
References[edit]
- ^ a b Cliff Edwards (2012-01-13). "Beats Electronics Is Breaking Up with Monster". Business Week (Bloomberg News). Retrieved 16 February 2012.
- ^ "Brand Owner: Monster Cable International, Ltd". FindOwnerSearch. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
- ^ Josh Quittner (23 July 2008). "Dr. Dre's Headphones: Chronically Good". Time Magazine (Time Inc.). Retrieved 16 February 2012.
- ^ Joe Pollicino (13 January 2012). "Monster and Beats Electronics discontinue partnership, audiophiles rejoice". Engadget. AOL Tech. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
- ^ CBC News Report
- ^ Raskin, Jef. Silicon Superstitions. ACM Queue vol. 1, no. 9. December/January 2003-2004.
- ^ Meyers, Peter. BASICS; The PC as D.J., Talking to the Hi-Fi. New York Times. January 24, 2002.
- ^ Captain, Sean. The Cable Game. PC World, August 02, 2005.
- ^ "The Truth About Monster Cable". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2007-12-17.
- ^ Greenhill, Laurence. "Speaker Cables: Can You Hear the Difference?" Stereo Review, August 1983, quoted at Speaker Wire: A History.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Evangelista, Benny. Monster fiercely protects its name. SFGate.com. November 8, 2004.
- ^ [1] Monster Trademarks
- ^ a b [2] Key Monster Patents
- ^ [3] Office of Patents and Trademarks
- ^ [4] Noel Lee on Fox Business News
- ^ [5] News10.net Rancho Cordova Mini Golf Course Hit with "Monster" Lawsuit
- ^ "The Truth About The Monster Mini Golf Lawsuit". Monstercable.com. Retrieved 2009-06-13.
- ^ "Monster cable correspondence". Bluejeanscable.com. Retrieved 2009-06-13.
- ^ "Blue Jeans Cable Strikes Back". Audioholics.com. 2008-04-17. Retrieved 2009-06-13.
- ^ Stecklow, Steve (April 4, 2009). "The Scariest Monster of All Sues for Trademark Infringement". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 7, 2009.
- ^ [6] Monster Mini Golf Resolution Interview
External links[edit]
- Monster corporate website
- Company information
- Monster's side of the Monster Mini-Golf story
- Response to a Monster Cable cease & desist letter by Kurt Denke of Blue Jeans Cable
- Monster Companies Settle Name Differences
