Audio and video equipment manufacturer Monster claims that Apple has pulled the MFi certification for its accessories due to a lawsuit Monster filed against the Apple-owned Beats Electronics.
Monster tells The Wall Street Journal that Apple is strategically stripping the company of its MFi (Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod and now Apple Watch) certification as a result of the pending lawsuit against Beats Electronics despite Apple working with companies like Samsung during ongoing legal disputes.
Beats by Dr. Dre headphones had been produced in part by Monster, until Beats allowed its contract with the company to expire in 2012. Monster filed the lawsuit in January, and now says Apple is pushing it out of its MFi certification program as a result.
The decision to drop Monster from the MFi program reportedly came on May 5th, when Apple’s legal team informed Monster that the lawsuit meant the two companies could no longer work together.
Monster says it will now be forced to change its manufacturing and promotion of its products when the current agreement with Apple expires in September.
Monster lawyer David Tognotti says the move is excessive and “shows a side of Apple that consumers don’t see very often,” and called Apple “a bully.” Monster says that 900 of its over 4,000 products produced since 2008 have been made under the MFi program. The company says it has paid out more than $12 million in licensing fees since 2008.
Monster’s lawsuit against Beats Electronics is still pending.
