Most of these sorts of lawsuits are really just thinly veiled methods of revenue enhancement--a way to make money for the plaintiff.
My guess is that Monster sales are WAY down, and they need an injection of money (or the removal of some competition) to stay profitable.
With companies like BJC, Monoprice, Speltz, Signal, White Zombie and others making major headway in the "budget high-end" cable market, and companies like Phillips, AR, and Belkin steamrolling into the "department store" market, Monster, which is sort of sitting on the fence between "consumer grade" and "high end" is taking a big hit. The regular consumer market is probably not buying many cables at all, and the "high end" buyers are moving toward products that actually have a field record of performance for price (like Monoprice, Signal, Speltz, and WZA).
The funny thing is, Monster cables are almost entirely made in China, and most of their serious high-end competitors are actually still made here in the USA. If the courts side with Monster, it will have a potential cooling effect on ALL cable-making entrepreneurs here in the USA. I wonder if THAT will figure into this suit?
If Monster wins this suit it will be not only a slap in the face of American entrepreneurs, but it will once again show the true hand of our Government and our court system--that they are NOT looking out for the best interest of our citizens but rather, are in the pockets of foreign investors. I hope the Owner of BJC is a VERY good lawyer, because, like Howard Bealle in the movie "Network", Blue Jeans Cable has "Meddled with the forces of nature" by making a product that shows Monster for the overpriced crap it really is, and like any charlatan who has been exposed, Monster will most likely lash out in a temper-tantrum of epic proportions...
I hope that Monster gets slammed with a fine for bringing a frivolous suit on this one. It would be the only right thing for the courts to do.
--Richard
