Behringer appears to be staking out every historical synth brand it can. That’s leading to some historical synth names – and some names very much already in use by someone else.
SYNTH ANATOMY gets the scoop on the trademark filings, which cover a significant variety of historical brand names. These range from the obscure to the classic KORG Mono/Poly instrument.
Behringer Submitted Trademarks For Over 10 Synthesizers Including The MONOPOLY [synthanatomy.com]
Coming from MUSIC TRIBE, the corporate entity that makes the Behringer brand, these registrations include the Blue Marvin, Kobol, Polykobol, Polivoks, Synthex, Trident, Quadra, Source, Prodigy, Logan, Pro-16, and Pro-800. (Those are just the ones SYNTH ANATOMY unearthed.) While not covered in these filings, Behringer also this week teased a Wasp remake.
Notably, KORG – original makers of the Mono/Poly – do make a Mono/Poly iOS app now, and presumably might remake it as they have the MS-20 and ARP Odyssey. Polivoks, the legendary Soviet brand, is now made by Russia’s Elta Music and even a remake by original Polivoks engineer Vladimir Kuzmin, also under the original name.
There’s no actual product news here yet – and the registration of these marks doesn’t necessarily mean that a trademark will ever get used. You can read the International Trademark Association’s explanation of “trademark trolls” and “trademark bullies” – but short version, trademark law does let you do this:
Trademark Trolls: Here to Stay?
MUSIC TRIBE have been aggressive with trademarks in the past. The company is now locked in an evolving legal battle with the original family owners of the Auratone brand in the USA, and MUSIC TRIBE lost an EUIPO court case over that trademark to the surviving family members of the original Auratone founder.
If you do know more about the status of these trademarks or this or other relevant cases, of course I’m happy to hear from you. I will get back to making weird new things under… well, new names, I think.