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Monster Cables picked the wrong guy to threaten (2008)

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Re: Monster Cables picked the wrong guy to threaten (2008)

#61

Post by dkh »

jdlshore wrote: post #3
biglyburrito wrote: post #2

The complete story: https://www.bluejeanscable.com/legal/mcp/index.htm

For anybody who’s wondering what happened next, this is from the above link: “Monster's counsel had made a horrible mistake, and probably caused lasting harm to the company, by sending me that ridiculous letter. But he, and Monster, did apparently know the first rule of holes: "If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging." The end, therefore, of the story was a bit anticlimactic. Knowing that I was able to defend my…

This is wonderful. It’s also true! Even when I was running a very small business and not particularly bothered by what people were doing that could be argued as resembling trademark infringement, I was urged to be vigilant about it because if you don’t defend your trademark, you risk losing it. That’s how the law works!

If that really is the reason you’re threatening action against someone, they may just understand if you’re nice about it!

That said, while it may foster more goodwill towards your company, it probably isn’t as surefire a way to generate the swift response you want as being a dick and making the threats

Re: Monster Cables picked the wrong guy to threaten (2008)

#63

Post by Cornbilly »

jaredandrews wrote: post #36

I had no idea Monster sold anything other than over priced guitar cables... About 15 yeard ago, I knew a guy who exclusively bought Monster... well he had two of them, one from the guitar to the pedal board and another from the board to the amp. But it wasn't because of their alleged improved sound quality or whatever, it was because they had a lifetime warranty. Dude had bought two monster 1/4inch cables and gotten…

A few of my friends did the same. They could easily run to Guitar Center and swap broken cables before a gig. That could easily be worth the added cost.

Re: Monster Cables picked the wrong guy to threaten (2008)

#65

Post by kikokikokiko »

jaredandrews wrote: post #36

I had no idea Monster sold anything other than over priced guitar cables... About 15 yeard ago, I knew a guy who exclusively bought Monster... well he had two of them, one from the guitar to the pedal board and another from the board to the amp. But it wasn't because of their alleged improved sound quality or whatever, it was because they had a lifetime warranty. Dude had bought two monster 1/4inch cables and gotten…

if anyone wants to block the annoying troll spammer that invaded hackernews today, please put this rule on your personal filters on ublock origin:

##.comtr.athing:has-text('bschmidt')

Re: Monster Cables picked the wrong guy to threaten (2008)

#66

Post by bayindirh »

jaredandrews wrote: post #36

I had no idea Monster sold anything other than over priced guitar cables... About 15 yeard ago, I knew a guy who exclusively bought Monster... well he had two of them, one from the guitar to the pedal board and another from the board to the amp. But it wasn't because of their alleged improved sound quality or whatever, it was because they had a lifetime warranty. Dude had bought two monster 1/4inch cables and gotten…

I hove some Monster cables around, and I bought them knowing that their claims are bogus, but the things are built like a tank.

None of them have broken or developed faulty connections over the years, and that's worth it the price difference in my opinion. In my case, for a couple of them, the price difference was nil, because the store was selling them at a 50% discount to just get them out of their premises.

Re: Monster Cables picked the wrong guy to threaten (2008)

#67

Post by Suppafly »

pdpi wrote: post #28
jdlshore wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For anybody who’s wondering what happened next, this is from the above link: “Monster's counsel had made a horrible mistake, and probably caused lasting harm to the company, by sending me that ridiculous letter. But he, and Monster, did apparently know the first rule of holes: "If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging." The end, therefore, of the story was a bit anticlimactic. Knowing that I was able to defend my…

> Monster's counsel had made a horrible mistake, and probably caused lasting harm to the company, by sending me that ridiculous letter This sort of thing always reminds of the Jack Daniels cease and desist letter[0], which, at least for me, had the exact opposite effect. 0. https://brokenpianoforpresident.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/jac...

Seems like he's still using their design on the ebook on amazon all these years later.

Re: Monster Cables picked the wrong guy to threaten (2008)

#68

Post by ericwood »

jaredandrews wrote: post #36

I had no idea Monster sold anything other than over priced guitar cables... About 15 yeard ago, I knew a guy who exclusively bought Monster... well he had two of them, one from the guitar to the pedal board and another from the board to the amp. But it wasn't because of their alleged improved sound quality or whatever, it was because they had a lifetime warranty. Dude had bought two monster 1/4inch cables and gotten…

I've had a 20' monster cable for at least 15 years now that is showing no signs of slowing down, even after a period of regular practice/shows. If only I was actually able to cash in on the warranty! Other cables from reputable brands haven't lasted this long in less demanding conditions.

Re: Monster Cables picked the wrong guy to threaten (2008)

#69

Post by jpgvm »

bolognafairy wrote: post #52
m463 wrote: post #48

I remember buying audio gear (think receiver, amplifier, cd player) and being the focus of the upsell for 2-5x more expensive monster cables. Once I patiently explained that a cable shouldn't matter for digital as long as the bits got there, and seeing the young sales guy pause and then "get it". And I got the (relatively) cheap cables. Also speaker wire. You can get perfectly good copper cables for less, probably in…

> Once I patiently explained that a cable shouldn't matter for digital as long as the bits got there . Emphasis mine. As someone that sold AV equipment, including cables, in the late ‘00s / early ‘10s, nerds that misunderstood the nuances of this were the single worst group of customers to work with. You could see them coming a mile away. By the time “gold-plated HDMI cables are a scam” gets down to their level of ps…

I wish HDMI would die as a standard. The TV folk won't that happen though, controlling HDMI allows them to control the ecosystem by extension.

Would be nice if the EU could step in an make DisplayPort the required connection and protocol like they did for the USB-C port for charging.

Re: Monster Cables picked the wrong guy to threaten (2008)

#70

Post by lukan »

biglyburrito wrote: post #2

The complete story: https://www.bluejeanscable.com/legal/mcp/index.htm

"There have been numerous times, since my exit from the practice of law and entry into the cable business, when I've been glad that I have a legal background, and this certainly was one of those; it meant that the inevitable surge in adrenalin manifested itself through careful legal review rather than through the intended panic."

Channel your energy in the right direction ..

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