Bartolo wrote:


Many in this thread bash the Monster products, but at $9.99 on Amazon
with free shipping, I do not consider their top of the line 5Hz -
2GHz splitter to be over-priced. It's a small price to pay for
reliable tv AND internet service. In fact, a "cheapie" splitter at
Radio Shack is the exact same price -- $9.99


Irrespective of the price/quality of Monster Cable (spit) products, their
business morality is reprehensible. I refer you to correspondence in reply
to a "Demand" and "Cease and Desist" letter from Monster Cable's lawyers to
Blue Jeans Cable.

Here it is (PDF)
http://www.bluejeanscable.com/legal/...onse041408.pdf

Warning: The letter is long, but fascinating.

Introduction:

"Dear Monster Lawyers,

"Let me begin by stating, without equivocation, that I have no interest
whatsoever in infringing upon any intellectual property belonging to Monster
Cable. Indeed, the less my customers think my products resemble Monster's,
in form or in function, the better."


Here's the money quote:

"I say this because my observation has been that Monster Cable typically
operates in a hit-and-run fashion. Your client threatens litigation,
expecting the victim to panic and plead for mercy; and what follows is a
quickie negotiation session that ends with payment and a licensing
agreement. Your client then uses this collection of licensing agreements to
convince others under similar threat to accede to its demands. Let me be
clear about this: there are only two ways for you to get anything out of me.
You will either need to (1) convince me that I have infringed, or (2) obtain
a final judgment to that effect from a court of competent jurisdiction. It
may be that my inability to see the pragmatic value of settling frivolous
claims is a deep character flaw, and I am sure a few of the insurance
carriers for whom I have done work have seen it that way; but it is how I
have done business for the last quarter-century and you are not going to
change my mind. If you sue me, the case will go to judgment, and I will
hold the court's attention upon the merits of your claims--or, to speak more
precisely, the absence of merit from your claims--from start to finish. Not
only am I unintimidated by litigation; I sometimes rather miss it."