Pinnacle Wins Decision In DBL Dispute

By Alan Wolf -- TWICE, 2/22/2012

Hauppauge, N.Y. - Premium loudspeaker manufacturer Pinnacle Speakers has won a monetary award from DBL Distributing and its parent Ingram Micro for unauthorized distribution online.

An arbitration panel in New York determined that DBL sold Pinnacle's products to e-tailers in violation of an authorized distribution agreement. The action harmed the vendor's business value, the panel found, and ordered the distributor to compensate Pinnacle for damages and legal expenses.

The amount of the award was not disclosed.

"We hope this victory signals our resolve that we will not tolerate our brand being sold and tarnished through unauthorized and uncontrolled online businesses," said Pinnacle sales and marketing VP Mickey Rothenberg. 

Ingram Micro, in a statement issued to TWICE, said, "The matter was resolved in a confidential settlement agreement between Pinnacle and Ingram Micro, and Ingram Micro was pleased with the outcome of that settlement."

Pinnacle, based here, describes itself as the second-oldest independently owned and operated speaker manufacturer in the U.S.

Ingram Micro, a Fortune 100 company, described itself as the world's largest technology distributor and a leading technology sales, marketing and logistics company for the IT industry worldwide. Its DBL division is one of the nation's top distributors of CE accessories and related products, with more than 32,000 retail customers nationwide.