Monster Cable Products
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1978 |
| Headquarters | Brisbane, California |
| Key people | Noel Lee, Founder, CEO ("Head Monster") |
| Industry | Consumer Electronics |
| 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 a breadth of brands, including:
- Monster Power
- Monster Mobile
- Monster Performance Car
- Monster Game
- Monster Photo
- M•Design
Contents |
[edit] History
Monster Cable Products (Monster) was founded in San Francisco in 1978 by engineer Noel Lee.
The company is based today in Brisbane, CA, and has additional offices in Ennis (Ireland), London, and Hong Kong with about 650 employees, most of them in the US headquarters. The company is privately held, hence it does not publish its sales figures; however, industry sources estimate its annual revenue to be around US$500 million. Monster Cable Products, Inc. is currently incorporated in California. [1]
In recent years, faced with increasing competition in the consumer electronics market and in an attempt to reduce costs, the company like many US manufacturers has outsourced many of its production lines. This has resulted in several rounds of layoffs.
[edit] Monster Music
In 1988 Monster Cable launched Monster Music a record production company and music label. In Monster Music’s early years it released albums for artists including Midnight Voices, Bare Bones, Shawn Morrison, Gene Clark, The Looters as well as a number of compilation disks. In more recent years Monster Music has released albums for George Benson & Al Jarreau, Ray Charles, 3 Doors Down.[2] Most recently Monster Music has been known for releasing recordings in high definition surround sound on DVD media.
[edit] Controversy
[edit] Quality and pricing
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. [3]
Nevertheless, various reviews have reported that listeners and viewers are unable to tell a difference between substantially higher-priced Monster cables and inexpensive cables [4][5][6] -these can actually be can be found online with prices go as low as $3 with surprisingly high ratings. In addition, some opinions differ, especially for cables which carry digital signals such as HDMI cables.[7] In one experiment, audiophile listeners could not distinguish between short Monster cables and ordinary coat hangers.[8] Another reviewer concluded that "16-gauge lamp cord and Monster [speaker] cable are indistinguishable from each other with music."[9]
[edit] Taxes & Corporate Location
While Monster Cable’s is headquartered is in Brisbane, CA, the company has been accused of tax dodging for having a Bermuda based holding company. Records show that Monster Cable Products, Inc. has been incorporated in California since its founding in 1978.[10] Monster Cable Products, Inc. also has a subsidiary, Monster, LLC, which is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, where Monster operates a distribution facility.[11]
There was a brief period where some of Monster’s patents and trademarks were held by a subsidiary located in Bermuda – Monster Cable International, Ltd. This company was dissolved in 2003, and the patents and trademarks were transferred back to Monster Cable Products, Inc. and Monster, LLC.
[edit] Trademark and Patent
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.[12] Monster Cable CEO Noel Lee defended these actions by saying "We have an obligation to protect our trademark; otherwise we'd lose it."[13] Monster Cable owns many trademarks[14] and patents[15] listed with the US Office of Patents and Trademarks.[16]
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. [17]
Monster Cable's adversaries include:
- Snow Monsters (a kid's skiing group)
- MonsterVintage, small used clothing store
- Monsters, Inc., an animated feature film[13]
- Monster Garage, a television series[13]
- Monsters of the Midway, a nickname of the Chicago Bears football team
- Fenway Park's Monster seats
- Monster.com employment website
- Monster Mini Golf[18][19]
- Monster Balls Paintballs manufactured by JT Sports
- Monster Transmission
On April 1, 2008, Monster Cable sent a cease and desist letter to Blue Jeans Cable,[20] claiming infringement on certain patents[15] 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."[21] In this correspondence, Denke also observed the possibility of Monster Cable avoiding federal income taxes by using a Bermuda-based holding company.
[edit] Monster Mini Golf
In 2006 Monster Cable brought suit against Monster Mini Golf, a company selling franchise Mini Golf locations throughout the US. After legal salvos and an 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.[22] After the settlement Monster Cable CEO Noel Lee and Monster Mini Golf founder Christina Vitagliano filmed a video interview discussing the dispute and resolution.[23]
[edit] False Advertising
On January 29, 2003, Monster Cable agreed to a consent order with Energizer Holdings to settle a complaint of false advertising regarding Monster Powercells alkaline batteries. Energizer asserted that Monster Cable's claims of "25% More Power Than Standard Alkalines" were false, based on independent testing. Monster Cable removed these claims from its website and product packaging.[24]
On March 23, 2009, a photo surfaced online showing two TV sets connected with different cables and claimed that Monster Cable was deceiving consumers by comparing an HDMI cable with a Composite Video cable.[25] Monster Cable responded on several blogs that comparisons are often made between basic cables which come with TVs and HDMI cables but that these comparisons should be well explained at retail stores. The photo did not show the front of the TV display and what, if any, signage was being shown to make the comparison.
On April 17, 2009, the technology blog Endgaget accused Monster Cable of inappropriately using a comment out of context to imply that Engadget endorsed the product "Beats by Dre" headphones. Engadget currently has Monster Cable on its blacklist and has publicly stated that it will no longer cover Monster Cable products. The quote has since been removed from the Monster Cable website.[26]
[edit] Candlestick Park Sponsorship
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 back to Candlestick Park.
[edit] References
- ^ "Brand Owner Monster Cable International, Ltd". FindOwnerSearch. http://www.findownersearch.com/owner/2055422/. Retrieved on 2009-06-13.
- ^ "Monster Music". Monster Music. http://www.monstermusic.com/catalog.asp. Retrieved on 2009-06-13.
- ^ CBC News Report [1]
- ^ 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. http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/field-notes/the-truth-about-monster-cable-266616.php. Retrieved on 2007-12-17.
- ^ Popken, Ben. Do Coat Hangers Sound As Good As Monster Cables?. The Consumerist, March, 2008.
- ^ Greenhill, Laurence. "Speaker Cables: Can You Hear the Difference?" Stereo Review, August 1983, quoted at Speaker Wire: A History.
- ^ http://kepler.sos.ca.gov/corpdata/ShowAllList?QueryCorpNumber=C0901929
- ^ "Entity Details - Secretary of State, Nevada". Esos.state.nv.us. 2002-12-23. https://esos.state.nv.us/SOSServices/AnonymousAccess/CorpSearch/CorpDetails.aspx?lx8nvq=QHztMJy0i8Grt5TV9z0Fwg%253d%253d. Retrieved on 2009-06-13.
- ^ Evangelista, Benny. Monster fiercely protects its name. SFGate.com. November 8, 2004.
- ^ a b c [2]SFgate
- ^ [3]Monster Trademarks
- ^ a b [4]Key Monster Patents
- ^ [5]Office of Patents and Trademarks
- ^ [6]Noel Lee on Fox Business News
- ^ [7]News10.net Rancho Cordova Mini Golf Course Hit with "Monster" Lawsuit
- ^ "The Truth About The Monster Mini Golf Lawsuit". Monstercable.com. http://www.monstercable.com/monster_truth/. Retrieved on 2009-06-13.
- ^ "Monster cable correspondence". Bluejeanscable.com. http://www.bluejeanscable.com/legal/mcp/index.htm. Retrieved on 2009-06-13.
- ^ "Blue Jeans Cable Strikes Back". Audioholics.com. 2008-04-17. http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry-news/blue-jeans-strikes-back. Retrieved on 2009-06-13.
- ^ Stecklow, Steve (April 4, 2009). "The Scariest Monster of All Sues for Trademark Infringement". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123869022704882969.html. Retrieved on April 7, 2009.
- ^ [8]Monster Mini Golf Resolution Interview
- ^ "Energizer, Inc. Investor Relations". Corporate-ir.net. http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=ENR&script=410&layout=-6&item_id=376230. Retrieved on 2009-06-13.
- ^ Murph, Darren (2009-03-23). "Monster "HDMI Difference" scam still kickin' in Fry's Electronics". Engadget.com. http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/23/monster-hdmi-difference-scam-still-kickin-in-frys-electronic/. Retrieved on 2009-06-13.
- ^ Topolsky, Joshua (2009-04-17). "Engadget endorses Monster Cable? Uh, hell no". Engadget.com. http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/17/engadget-endorses-monster-cable-uh-hell-no/. Retrieved on 2009-06-13.
