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After Transfer to L.A., Monster vs. Beats Picks Up Again

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Beats Won Round One; Monster Wins Round Two

Photo of Noel Lee
Noel Lee at a past CE Line Show

It’s been ten months now since Beats Electronics, LLC won their motion to transfer the lawsuit brought against them by Monster, LLC, from San Mateo courts up in Northern California to their home turf of Los Angeles – a big win that reduces their costs and increases their comfort. But if Beats thought that their hometown courts would give them an advantage by being more favorable to their position in this case – they got a rude awakening earlier this month, when the LA judge offered a mixed ruling on several issues that mostly went against Beats’ desires.

See more on our update on this clash of titans in the headphone game… [Read more…] about After Transfer to L.A., Monster vs. Beats Picks Up Again

Hot Time in the City, It’s CE Week Again

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CE Week logoNew York City in June sees temperatures rise in response to the onset of summer and also, hopefully, in response to the launch of the hottest new technologies being shown at CE Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion and Altman Building exposition spaces in Manhattan. We awaited this year’s edition with great anticipation as it occurs in the wake of a major change in the show’s backers – and is the follow-up to the surprisingly meaningful show last year.

What were the changes, and how did the show go? You’ll have to read on… [Read more…] about Hot Time in the City, It’s CE Week Again

Backing Beats – Apple Launches Retaliatory Attack on Monster

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BREAKING NEWS

Monster’s Noel Lee Talks to Us About Latest Lawsuit Developments

Monster logoAs many regular readers know, Strata-gee has been closely following the litigation between Monster, LLC and Beats Electronics, LLC. Although the matter is really just getting started, it appears to be getting really ugly, really quickly. Now we have learned that Apple, Inc. has taken several actions that, according to Monster CEO Noel Lee (who is known as the Head Monster), are pure retaliation over this lawsuit – even though Monster did not sue Apple.

See more on Apple’s actions against Monster that it says are retaliatory… [Read more…] about Backing Beats – Apple Launches Retaliatory Attack on Monster

Bad Omen? Beats Wins Round 1 of Monster vs. Beats

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Judge Agrees with Beats, Transfers Case to Home Turf in LA

Beats by Dr. Dre LogoWe first told you about Monster, LLC and CEO “Head Monster” Noel Lee filing a lawsuit against Beats, LLC alleging fraudulent practices back in January, in a post that was titled in part “Risky Business.” Perhaps now Monster is getting a taste of the riskiness of taking matters to court as they have lost their first battle, on the first issue – where the case would be heard.

Learn more about why the judge found against Monster, and for Beats, on this first issue… [Read more…] about Bad Omen? Beats Wins Round 1 of Monster vs. Beats

Legal Guns Blazing, Beats Fires Back at Monster

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‘Lee Apparently Regrets His Business Decisions…’

Photo of Dr. Dre and Jimmy IovineWe reported to you in January that Monster, LLC and Noel Lee had filed what appears to be a major lawsuit against Beats Electronics, LLC, Andre Young (Beats founder, aka Dr. Dre), Paul D. Wachter (a Beats director), Jimmy Iovine (Beats founder) and HTC (a Taiwanese cell phone manufacturer). The wide ranging suit alleged all sorts of nefarious business practices by the Beats parties – but especially alleged that Beats and HTC engaged in a “sham transaction” solely for the purpose of triggering a “change of control” provision to defraud Monster and Lee out of their rightful interests.

Funny, but Beats see this matter quite differently… [Read more…] about Legal Guns Blazing, Beats Fires Back at Monster

Risky Business: Monster Sues Beats Alleging Fraudulent Practices

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Noel Lee at CE Week 2014As the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicked off yesterday in Las Vegas, attorneys for Monster, LLC and owner Noel Lee were busy filing a lawsuit in a California Superior court against Beats Electronics, LLC,  Andre Young (Beats founder better known as Dr. Dre), Paul D. Wachter (a Beats director), Jimmy Iovine (Beats founder), and HTC (a Taiwanese company that allegedly at one time owned a majority interest in Beats). Multiple published reports carried the rather salacious claims by Monster and “Head Monster” Noel Lee about the allegedly nefarious business practices of Beats, its founders, certain directors, and some of its partners.

See more on this surprising litigation… [Read more…] about Risky Business: Monster Sues Beats Alleging Fraudulent Practices

Monster’s ‘Head Monster’ Talks Beats & Women at CE Week 2014

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Creating a Monster slideWhen the history of Monster Products is written some day in the future, there will be many legitimate highlights for their historian to ponder. First and foremost among these will be the fact that CEO Noel Lee (known as the Head Monster) virtually single-handedly created an industry when in the late 70s he popularized step-up, higher quality speaker cables that independent specialty retailers pushed like crazy over zip cord because it was much more profitable for them (and for Lee). And even though Monster Cable was more expensive for consumers, a clever Monster-created retail display demonstrated to them that they could indeed hear the difference with their own ears.

But we’re pretty certain one scene will not make Monster’s corporate history highlight reel – the company’s failure to continue to capitalize on its partnership with Beats by Dr. Dre. That partnership dissolved some two-plus years ago…with Beats going on to be purchased by Apple recently for $3.2 billion. Monster’s share of that eye-popping windfall: $0.

So why, in the wake of that loss, is Noel Lee talking about Beats to anyone who will listen??… [Read more…] about Monster’s ‘Head Monster’ Talks Beats & Women at CE Week 2014

Monster Launches a Shaq Attack; Sports Star to Help Market Monster Products

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Photo of Shaquille O'Neal with Monster Products

Monster Products Inc. announced today that it has cut a deal with basketball superstar Shaquille O’Neal to endorse and otherwise market select Monster-branded products. The company says that O’Neal will aid in the marketing of Monster products in multiple categories “from personal audio to headphones and beyond.”

See more on this new celebrity endorsement deal from Monster below… [Read more…] about Monster Launches a Shaq Attack; Sports Star to Help Market Monster Products

Perfect Path Says It’s on the Growth Path at CE Week

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CE Week logoAs we walked the halls of CE Week, we kept running into old friends and well-known industry personalities. We met both at once when we ran into Eric Bodley of  PPC/Perfect Path who was at the show to support various partners of the company. PPC was recently purchased by cable giant Belden, Inc. and we’ve been anxiously awaiting more details on how this consolidation would be implemented.

Bodley wasn’t in a position to comment on that quite yet, but we took advantage of the meeting to ask him about a couple of other recent issues.

See Bodley’s comments on competition heating up & the Belden/PPC connection… [Read more…] about Perfect Path Says It’s on the Growth Path at CE Week

Don’t Throw the Baby Out with the Bathwater

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Photo of baby in bathtub.As a marketing strategist, I am often asked to help clients come up with promotional ideas. Consumer electronics can be a very promotion-driven business, so this is a common task for tech marketers. There are no “hard and fast” rules and often I will brainstorm with the client, his/her team, or outside contractors I often work with.

But no matter what kind of idea we come up with, I try very hard to avoid something that is a bit of a common practice in the technology business – promotions that “throw the baby out with the bathwater!”

What does this mean? See an example of how marketers throw the baby out with the bathwater… [Read more…] about Don’t Throw the Baby Out with the Bathwater