rharv, I sort of agree with you, but I don't agree as well.

The CT-100 example above goes beyond copying function - which unless technology function is patented - it's o.k. to copy function.

The blatant stealing of dimensions, layout, etc. seems over-the-top bullying of Behringer on EBTech.

MOST of Behringer products today are not like this - in fact, they have quite a few innovative features that other companies would do well to copy functionally - for example, using LEDs around the outer edge of an optical encoder to indicate position of the encoder, the GREAT channel strip on the X32 mixer and the 'view' buttons on same(simply crushes any other digital mixer within the same price order of magnitude), etc.

However, this particular example is more than all cars have 4 wheels, therefore the adopters of the 4 wheel cars are in violation of stealing.

A Ford Focus is not a direct copy of a Honda Civic, though functionally they have many similarities.

Now, Chery motors in China has been guilty of outright dead copying other companies designs - Copied a GM vehicle so closely that the doors interchanged. The Chery model outsold the GM model 6 to 1 in China http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=2277&catid=9

If you look at cable testers at Musician's friend - you'll see 7 products, with 6 form factors. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/search.jsp?sB=r&Ntt=cable+tester Behringer and EBtech identical except for paint color and the Behringer claim that they did all their work in Germany printed right on the side of it, the rest all have different form factors. What is interesting is that I have the Nady format cable tester, but I got mine from Cascade microphones in a deal that they threw in their own branded version of that thing on a ribbon mic deal. Let's say that the innards of the CT-100 and the Swizz Army tester are actually different - but why did they have to copy everything down to LED locations, text orientation, etc? Couldn't they have changed it up even just a little bit? Seems like bullying.

I am really torn on this revelation of the CT-100. I like Behringer's new products for the most part - really useful, innovative and inexpensive. But I don't like that it appears that perhaps the way they got that way was through outright intellectual property theft of other products/designs.

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