Behringer sued for cloning Boss pedals

[mrid]

Re: Behringer sued for cloning Boss pedals

The big problem here is that if other companies weren't allowed to make the same or similar product for less, then you end up with an indefinite monopoly situation; This is why patents expire. Of course things can be trademarked, like peghead shapes, cutaways, and, our favorite, bobbin colors. :laugh2:

What about Marshall copying Fender? What about Fender blatantly copying the original RCA/Westinghouse amp design docs? What about Mesa/Boogie patenting amp design ideas that aren't even theirs? Maybe these situations aren't as blatantly obvious as Behringer's, but it seems like the same thing to me...at least Behringer isn't trying to hide anything. :laugh2:

If you carefully analyze most of these situations, I think you'll see that most of these ideas aren't as original as these companies would have us believe (though the Fender guitar/bass designs might have been divinely inspired :laugh2: ).

(BTW, I really don't like Behringer)

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Behringer sued for cloning Boss pedals

The big problem here is that if other companies weren't allowed to make the same or similar product for less, then you end up with an indefinite monopoly situation; This is why patents expire. Of course things can be trademarked, like peghead shapes, cutaways, and, our favorite, bobbin colors. :laugh2:

I agree. But the company should also be allowed to profit (financially or otherwise) for a certain time, and that´s why patents exist at all

If you carefully analyze most of these situations, I think you'll see that most of these ideas aren't as original as these companies would have us believe (though the Fender guitar/bass designs might have been divinely inspired :laugh2: ).

(BTW, I really don't like Behringer)

Here I also agree (on both points), but I just feel that those that innovate SHOULD be rewarded for it and those that simply steal those innovations should be punished, at least for a while

 

[TheArchitect]

Re: Behringer sued for cloning Boss pedals

I've heard some of Behringers stuff. The mixers may be durable but they can be a little hard on the ears over time. You get what you pay for.

 

[TattooedCarrot]

Re: Behringer sued for cloning Boss pedals

Even the names are almost the same.

Metal Zone = Metal Tone

Overdrive OD-1 = Overdrive OD100

and so on.....they're screwed.

 

[B2D]

Re: Behringer sued for cloning Boss pedals

We can shoot the sh*t on this all we want but we all know - just by common sense - that Behringer's gonna lose this one.

 

[Kent S.]

Re: Behringer sued for cloning Boss pedals

It was about time.



I understand your reasoning , but as far as outright copies of products go: I´ll remind you of this sentence when someone steals your music and becomes famous. Or if you invent something, I´ll remind you of this when someone steals the idea and makes a fortune, while you got to do all the work.

Stealing designs is what ****ed up many of our economies in the first place. To stay with guitars and cars: ESP and Ibanez. If they hadn´t stolen ideas 20 years ago, and just offered them cheaper for 15 years, they wouldn´t be around anymore. And now the companioes that came up with those ideas, and constantly have new ones (most notably Gibson, Jackson and Fender) get to listen to "OH, they Copied Laiho´s Inlays" or "That´s just an M-II" etc, even though THEY are the ones that came up w/the ideas. ANd Now they´re struggling to get by in comparison, while the Knockoffs have upped their prices so far that they even cost MORE than the originals.

Makes me puke...

Theft of intellectual property is THE mass crime of the 21st century, and it needs to stop NOW. But it won´t if 6 billion Lemmmings keep buying the knockoffs "because they´re Cheaper" :evil:

What a lot of people don´t realize (and Behringer is a PERFECT example): To make it cheaper, you´ve gotta SAVE somewhere, that ALWAYS means lower quality to some extent, simple manufacturing fact. To take the example of mixing Consoles, I HAD a Behringer console. I no longer have onebecause it fell apart after 6 months of touring. Buying a new one would have pushed the cost up to about that of a Mackie, which I would have still had.

If you think it´s ok because it sounds the same, falls apart, and is outright stealing from the original Engineers AND the consumer, then that´s good for you. To me, it sucks


BTW, I dunno where BOSS pedals are made, but it wouldn´t surprise me if one of the main differences was that Boss are Jap or US (Or "western world") made, wheras the Behringer Ripoff is from China or some other country where humans are treated worse than catttle. Another thing to think about when Buying Behringer, Do you really want to be partially to blame when the Dictator buys a new Bamboo whipping stick?? Well then think again, because YOU JUST PAID FOR IT, knowingly and willingly




Yep, and this is one of the maion reasons there are barely any new developments in Mics. Why waste hundreds of thousands in Research if all the profit is gonna be made by the first Chinese Company that stealy your idea and puts out a POS Mic at half the price

This is exactly what happens when everyone buys knockoffs. The originals stop happening, and soon you only have copies of copies to choose from.

It´s your decision, people. Make it wisely

Amen ...

 

[Grandor]

Re: Behringer sued for cloning Boss pedals

Considering the pedals have never actually been released to the public how do you know the quality of them?

Tell me straight out that for a $30 price point you wouldn't choose the Behringer product over what Boss charges. Two pedals that do the same thing; same components, same contruction, etc. One will cost you over a hundred bucks and one costs thirty....

Go ahead....say you enjoy paying seventy bucks extra. Say you just can' get enough of that good-old-fashioned down ****in' home paying seventy more bucks.


SAY IT!!!!!!

hahahaha :laugh2:

I was not questioning the quality of the pedals because of the pedals themselves.
I was saying that all the other behringer items I have ever seen/used/heard were certified POS.
The crap products I refered to were such things as behringer mixers, vamp series, and behringer amps that I have used.

And yes, I would pay 70 extra dollars for a boss.

 

[St_Genesius]

Re: Behringer sued for cloning Boss pedals

I think I may be in the minority in two ways on this issue (or the majority in two ways, depending on how you look at it) but I support BOTH this lawsuit and the purchase of Behringer products, even when they are blatant copies of existing designs. I don't feel a moral dillema in my purchase of a derivative product, if I am satisfied with its quality. But I also have take no issue with a copied company standing up for itself in the legal arena.

To sync this with the (problematic) songwriting analogy made earlier, I suppose the analogue might be something like this: I don't have a problem buying Ray Parker Jr's "Ghostbusters (Who you gonna Call?)" single, but I also support Huey Lewis' lawsuit against it...

 

[zonniewiw]

Re: Behringer sued for cloning Boss pedals

I think Behringer is gonna sell them anyway ,

And if they have to stop production by this sued of Roland , maybe in 20 years it´s a vintage collectors item :laugh2:

Johnny

 

[mrid]

Re: Behringer sued for cloning Boss pedals

I agree. But the company should also be allowed to profit (financially or otherwise) for a certain time, and that´s why patents exist at all

I can totally agree. I just wanted to clarify the difference between intellectual property and trademarks. Obviously, those 70's "lawsuit" guitars were in violation of Fender's intellectual property rights (and possibly their trademark as well...I'm not sure when they tried to establish that the headstocks were part of their identity). Now, if someone makes a strat-head or tele-head guitar without paying Fender royalties on their trademarks today, then it's just as wrong.

To conclude, obviously Behringer doesn't have a leg to stand on because they're in violation of trademarks (i.e, plagiarize brand identity). They might also be in violation of intellectual property rights (IIRC, Boss patented asymmetrical clipping at one time...I'm not sure if that patent has expired yet or not).

The big problem here is that these particular Behringer pedals are borderline counterfeit.