In that case Aphex Systems won DM690,000. The Mackie suit detailed an instance, in which Behringer was sued by Aphex Systems for copying the Aural Exciter Type F. In their suit, Mackie said that Behringer had had a history of copying products by other manufacturers and selling them as their own. The claims were later rejected by the court. In June 1997, the Mackie company (now LOUD Technologies) accused Behringer of trademark and trade dress infringement, and brought suit seeking $327M in damages. The company has since implemented a complete UL certified safety and EMC testing laboratory under the UL Certified Witness Program, including in-house audits and global regulatory review systems. According to Behringer, it had overlooked the differences in testing standards and procedures under FCC and European requirements.
Behringer's position was that they believed that since the units had passed stringent European CE standards, they would also comply with FCC verification requirements. In February 2006, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) fined Behringer $1M, issuing a Notice of Apparent Liability against Behringer, claiming that 50 of the company's products had not been tested for conducted and radiated emissions limits as required by US law, and noting that Behringer continued to sell the products for a year after being notified. īehringer is known for releasing their synthesizers at budget prices. Since 2018, Behringer has produced clones of synthesizers and drum machines including the Roland TB-303, Korg Monopoly, Arp 2600, Arp Odyssey, Roland TR-808, TR-909, Roland SH-101, Minimoog, Sequential Circuits Prophet-600 and EDP Wasp. Their second original synth was the Neutron and their third was Behringer Crave, a semi-modular synthesizer released in 2019. The design of the Deepmind was inspired by the Roland Juno-106. Shortly after they followed by the Deepmind 12D which was a desktop alternative to the Deepmind synths. In 2016, they released their first commercial synths the Deepmind 12 and Deepmind 6. Although some manufacturers such as Curtis are not happy about their products being cloned, Behringer has claimed that creating clones of older hardware is legal where the patents have expired. Since 2016, Behringer has become a manufacturer of synthesizers and drum machines, which includes original synths, but also many recreations of old classic synthesizers, chips and hardware. The Behringer RD-8 drum machine (top) is based on the Roland TR-808 drum machine (bottom). By 1997 Uli Behringer had relocated to Hong Kong to better supervise manufacturing quality. Initially, subcontractors were engaged to produce the equipment. In 1990, to lower production costs, Behringer shifted production from West Germany to mainland China. While Behringer products were manufactured in Willich, Germany, many of the individual components were imported from mainland China. Marketing, manufacturing, and acquisitions At the age of 16, he built his first synthesizer, the UB1. Behringer helped his father build the organ. When he was five years old, his father built his own church organ with over 1000 pipes and integrated them into the family home. At the age of four, Uli Behringer started to learn piano. Behringer's father was a church organist and nuclear physicist his mother a pianist and interpreter his uncle a professor of composition at the Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich and his aunt a classical singer and pianist. History Foundation and early development Ĭompany founder, Uli Behringer, was born 1961 in Baden, Switzerland.
1.2 Marketing, manufacturing, and acquisitions.