zonniewiw
New member
Just found this on the internet , it had to happen one of these days , make money on other companies developement ;
BEHRINGER SUED FOR CLONING RENOWNED BOSS GUITAR EFFECTS PEDALS
(Los Angeles, February 24, 2005)- Leading electronic musical instrument and
equipment manufacturer Roland Corporation ("Roland") has sued Behringer
International GmbH and its subsidiaries ("Behringer") to enforce Roland's
trade dress, trademark, and other intellectual property rights in and to the
famous guitar effects pedals manufactured, distributed and sold by Roland's
division, BOSS, as well as other Roland products.
BOSS has long been an industry leader in the design and manufacture of
guitar effects pedals, recording equipment and other musical instrument
accessories. In addition to their unparalleled sound, the BOSS pedals
feature a unique combination of aesthetic design elements which have served
to establish BOSS as an instantly-recognizable brand and to distinguish BOSS
pedals from pedals manufactured by others.
The Complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the Central
District of California, alleges that at the January, 2005 National
Association of Music Merchants ("NAMM") industry trade show, Behringer
announced the launch of a line of guitar effects pedals which replicate the
distinctive design features of the BOSS pedals with such painstaking detail
that the Behringer pedals are nearly indistinguishable from the BOSS pedals.
Roland contends that this is no coincidence, and that the overall look and
feel of the Behringer pedals is intentionally designed to confuse consumers
as to the origin, sponsorship or affiliation of the Behringer Pedals, and to
capitalize and profit from Roland's success, its impeccable reputation and
the goodwill that it has developed over years of hard work.
The Complaint alleges that in an effort to gain industry acceptance of the
cloned pedals, Behringer falsely assured industry retailers that the
Behringer line of pedals was approved and endorsed by Roland.
Roland's subsidiary and exclusive United States distributor Roland
Corporation U.S. has joined the suit as plaintiff. Plaintiffs are suing
Behringer for trademark and trade dress infringement, unfair competition and
a number of other causes of action aimed at protecting plaintiff's
intellectual property rights.
Dennis Houlihan, President of Roland Corporation U.S. commented: "Imitation
is not flattery, and is far from sincere, when the subject is Roland's
valuable trade dress. Roland has expended monumental effort and substantial
amounts to create and promote the design elements of its BOSS line of guitar
effects pedals. Behringer's replication of the famous BOSS trade dress has
caused extensive damage to Roland and its reputation, and Behringer's false
claim that Roland has endorsed Behringer's unadulterated infringement is
unconscionable."
BEHRINGER SUED FOR CLONING RENOWNED BOSS GUITAR EFFECTS PEDALS
(Los Angeles, February 24, 2005)- Leading electronic musical instrument and
equipment manufacturer Roland Corporation ("Roland") has sued Behringer
International GmbH and its subsidiaries ("Behringer") to enforce Roland's
trade dress, trademark, and other intellectual property rights in and to the
famous guitar effects pedals manufactured, distributed and sold by Roland's
division, BOSS, as well as other Roland products.
BOSS has long been an industry leader in the design and manufacture of
guitar effects pedals, recording equipment and other musical instrument
accessories. In addition to their unparalleled sound, the BOSS pedals
feature a unique combination of aesthetic design elements which have served
to establish BOSS as an instantly-recognizable brand and to distinguish BOSS
pedals from pedals manufactured by others.
The Complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the Central
District of California, alleges that at the January, 2005 National
Association of Music Merchants ("NAMM") industry trade show, Behringer
announced the launch of a line of guitar effects pedals which replicate the
distinctive design features of the BOSS pedals with such painstaking detail
that the Behringer pedals are nearly indistinguishable from the BOSS pedals.
Roland contends that this is no coincidence, and that the overall look and
feel of the Behringer pedals is intentionally designed to confuse consumers
as to the origin, sponsorship or affiliation of the Behringer Pedals, and to
capitalize and profit from Roland's success, its impeccable reputation and
the goodwill that it has developed over years of hard work.
The Complaint alleges that in an effort to gain industry acceptance of the
cloned pedals, Behringer falsely assured industry retailers that the
Behringer line of pedals was approved and endorsed by Roland.
Roland's subsidiary and exclusive United States distributor Roland
Corporation U.S. has joined the suit as plaintiff. Plaintiffs are suing
Behringer for trademark and trade dress infringement, unfair competition and
a number of other causes of action aimed at protecting plaintiff's
intellectual property rights.
Dennis Houlihan, President of Roland Corporation U.S. commented: "Imitation
is not flattery, and is far from sincere, when the subject is Roland's
valuable trade dress. Roland has expended monumental effort and substantial
amounts to create and promote the design elements of its BOSS line of guitar
effects pedals. Behringer's replication of the famous BOSS trade dress has
caused extensive damage to Roland and its reputation, and Behringer's false
claim that Roland has endorsed Behringer's unadulterated infringement is
unconscionable."
), but you can still see what they look like pretty much. They're pretty much exact copies of their Boss counterparts.
