MUSIC Group Wins Major Patent Case against Peavey Electronics

Peavey Electronics Corporation has defended the failure of several of their products

to meet Federal Safety and Emissions Standards (FCC) by deflecting the allegations

made in US District Court by MUSIC Group. In a statement circulated yesterday, Peavey

has repeatedly claimed that they are engaged in “multiple legal actions” against MUSIC

Group’s brand Behringer, without disclosing either the nature or status of such actions.

In the release, Peavey cited a lawsuit filed against Behringer in 2009 for alleged

patent infringement related to Feedback Location circuitry without disclosing that

the presiding Judge already issued an opinion which rendered the claim as baseless.

As a consequence, Peavey withdrew the claim recently but suppressed the judge’s

finding and the fact that Behringer had in fact patented their own FBQ Feedback

Identification system in multiple countries to defend its own intellectual property.

Another nonsensical lawsuit filed by Peavey centered on a labeling issue whereby the

phrase “Patent Pending” was not replaced by “Patented” on products after the patents

had been granted to Behringer in several countries. In their statement, Peavey also

concealed the fact that they are the subject of a countersuit brought by MUSIC Group

alleging exactly the same mislabeling issue. That case is ongoing.

“It is unfortunate that Peavey would address their declining fortunes in today’s

marketplace by resorting to lawsuits against competitors and more important by

cutting corners on testing and compliance. Their energies would be far better spent

ensuring their products are safe for consumers and that they meet the requirements

of the law rather than engaging in a confused and nonsensical attack on a successful

company”, commented SVP Marketing, Costa Lakoumentas in response.

MUSIC Group has presented independent evidence in the form of test results from

accredited third parties to substantiate the claims that 7 out of 10 Peavey products

tested failed government safety and emissions standards (FCC). The case will be

heard in the District Court of Seattle and the results will be made public as the

case unfolds.

The MUSIC Group holds a substantial amount of intellectual property such as patents

and trademarks. The Company will vigorously defend its rights against Peavey or

anyone else.