Behringer Tried to Sue Dave Smith Instruments for "Defamation"

Behringer tried to sue DSI for “defamation” after an employee posted “incorrect and slanderous statements” on the popular music-makers’ forum Gearslutz. According to Behringer founder and CEO Uli Behringer, they initially sent a cease-and-desist before the employee continued to post similar comments leading to the lawsuit against DSI. 

According to the report by blog CDM, the comments were also echoed by other forum members who went on to say things like Behginger’s business practices s “underhanded”, that some of their products are “blatant copies” of others and, as the lawsuit highights, “it’s not a secret that Behringer has ripped off products in the past and is planning to do so in the future.” 

Behringer were initially looking for $250,000 compensation but the lawsuit never made it to court. In a statement made on Behringer’s Facebook page, Uli also went on to elaborate on the misconceptions around intellectual property and outlined previous cases throughout their history where other manufacturers had challenged them. You can read that statement here. 

While the case wasn’t successful it opens up the wider conversation around re-makes and re-issues of products that’s currently en vogue. Behringer are well known for making products that look and/or act similar to those already on the market, and now that they’re releasing more electronic music-focussed products, the discussion is unlikely to end here. Which side of the fence your on is up to you.