They developed the Beats by Dr Dre headphones together. Now Monster is suing Beats over alleged fraud

Beats by Dr Dre Solo2 Headphones. Audio equipment maker Monster has sued Beats Electronics over alleged "fraud and deceit" in the way that Beats acquired control of the rights to the popular headphones. -- PHOTO: BEATS  
Beats by Dr Dre Solo2 Headphones. Audio equipment maker Monster has sued Beats Electronics over alleged "fraud and deceit" in the way that Beats acquired control of the rights to the popular headphones. -- PHOTO: BEATS  

(Reuters) - Audio equipment maker Monster has sued Beats Electronics over alleged "fraud and deceit" in the way that Beats acquired control of the rights to the popular Beats by Dr Dre headphones.

Under a partnership formed in 2008, Monster and Beats developed Beats by Dr Dre, a line of colorful, high-end headphones that vie with the likes of Skullcandy and Bose.

According to the suit filed in San Mateo (California) County Superior Court on Tuesday, Monster engineered the success of the headphones and was unfairly cut out before Beats was sold to Apple last year.

The complaint names Beats co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr Dre as well as HTC America Holdings, a unit of Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC among others, as defendants.

Mr Iovine is the co-founder of Interscope Records, a rap music pioneer that branched out to include acts like Lady Gaga and U2. Dr Dre is a US rapper and music producer.

The defendants fraudulently acquired Monster's Beats By Dr Dre product line including all development, engineering, manufacturing, marketing, distributing and retail rights, via a "sham" transaction with HTC, according to the complaint.

In 2011, HTC said it would buy a 51 per cent stake in Beats for US$309 million (S$412 million). Beats bought back half of HTC's interest in the company soon after the transaction, the complaint said.

The suit alleges Mr Iovine and Dr Dre "improperly erased" Monster and Monster founder Noel Lee from Beats' history.

The complaint alleges the defendants used the change of control as an excuse to end its relationship with Monster in 2012, and that they had made millions off the work of Mr Lee and Monster.

Beats was not immediately available for comment.

The complaint did not mention a dollar amount in damages. It seeks general and special damages as well as punitive damages against Beats, HTC and the individuals named.

In May 2014, Apple bought Beats hoping to win points with the music industry and turn Beats Music into a strong competitor to Spotify and other streaming services.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.