Strategy in TECH...
In more late-breaking news from the Masimo v. Apple trade secrets trial, we learn that U.S. District Judge James V. Selna has cut Masimo’s trade secrets claims in half, down from twelve initial claims to now six viable claims. Based on the expert estimated value of the claims cut, that takes this case from one valued at $3.1 billion in damages to one now valued at $1.8 billion.
In a surprising and rather dramatic late-trial incident, an Apple witness violated a pre-trial order from U.S. District Judge James V. Selna meant to limit the amount of evidence to be presented, and – upon a motion from Masimo – he reversed that order, allowing Masimo to reveal more evidence potentially detrimental to Apple. Specifically, jurors learned that Apple had not just hired two Masimo executives as they had been told, but rather, the tech giant had hired as many as five more (for a total of seven) employees away from Masimo.
Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) announced today that its Diamond Surround Sound System is being featured in BMW’s latest BMW XM luxury hybrid SUV. First featured in the top-of-the-line BMW 7 series, the company says its engineers worked side-by-side with BMW engineers from the very start of the XM development to ensure that its Diamond Surround Sound System was fully optimized for the luxury interior of this unique SUV.
Premium residential and commercial audio brands Theory Audio Design (Theory) and Pro Audio Technology (PRO) announced today the appointment of Marc Bertrand as Chief Operating Officer of both entities. Bertrand is said to have a long and highly-regarded history that will greatly assist both brands in their market growth initiatives.
I’ve been going to audio shows since the 1989 summer CES. Life has changed drastically since then, for both good and ill, and I’ve attended a lot of shows in the intervening 34 (!!!) years. Some shows were pleasant, productive, but ultimately unmemorable. Some shows were memorable for outrageous behavior or events—someday I’ll tell you about the CES room where strippers were giving lap-dances to potential dealers—some shows were memorable for disastrous management, or an atmosphere dripping in fear and impending doom.
But AXPONA 2023? Well, it was…
Crestron Electronics announced today that John Clancy, the current Executive Vice President of Residential, is being elevated to Chief Sales Officer, effective immediately. As the company’s top sales executive, the company says that Clancy “will lead and unify the global Crestron sales organization to drive market growth and enhance customer satisfaction.”
The Masimo Corporation $3 billion trade secret misappropriation, patent infringement, and patent ownership trial against Apple, Inc. is continuing and witnesses are offering the jury sharply divergent views of the many elements of this case. While those opposing viewpoints are fairly clear, what is not clear is how the jury is interpreting all of this information, and which side they feel is presenting a true picture of the situation.
On the eve of the upcoming patent trial in the matter of Sonos, Inc. [Nasdaq: SONO], vs. Google, LLC [Nasdaq: GOOG], both parties had submitted motions for summary judgment trying to win as many points as possible while also clearing away as many outstanding issues as possible to limit the number of factual matters to be determined at trial by a jury. It has been a long and winding road to get to this point, but one thing seems clear to me, Sonos may have gotten more than they bargained for, as this action with Google, their largest adversary by far, appears to have taken a bit of a toll.
Nice North America announced this week that it has appointed Mark Ohlwiler as its new Regional Sales Manager in the West region. Ohlwiler’s appointment was effective as of April 3, 2023.
This week we learned that Colquhoun Audio Laboratories Limited (CALL), the folks who also own Axiom Audio and Bryston, Ltd, have made a new acquisition, this time buying Magnum Dynalab, a highly regarded manufacturer of high-performance tuners and vacuum tube audio products. The company says the transaction was closed on March 31, 2023. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
