The lawsuit between Klon Centaur overdrive creator Bill Finnegan and Behringer over its on-the-nose Klon copy has been dismissed.
Finnegan’s famed, ultra-elusive overdrive pedal has become highly revered in the guitar community owing to its scarcity, hand-made nature, and the fact some of the biggest players on the planet swear by its borderline-mythical transparent drive tones.
When Klons do appear on the used market, they command crazy second-hand prices. That, coupled with a highly limited supply, has prompted many other firms over the years to fill the void with their own copies.
It's not a new phenomenon. Everyone from Way Huge to Wampler has been at it. But Finnegan felt Behringer’s own version, which was first released last November as the 'Centaur Overdrive', colored outside the lines of fair business.
In June, Finnegan announced that he’d filed a lawsuit against the firm – which has a reputation for cheap copies of famous stompboxes – citing use of its trade dress and “exploiting” the Klon’s legacy as his chief reasons for doing so.
Among the allegations, Finnegan highlighted that Behringer’s pedal closely copied the Klon’s iconic centaur imagery, and took issues with both the Centaur name and the fact the pedal didn’t even say Behringer on it – something which had been rectified in light of the case, along with an aesthetic rebrand and rename from Centaur to Centara.
Finnegan even amended his complaint on July 16 to highlight the changes Behringer had made, which he wasn’t happy about. Now, it has since changed its name for a third time, to Zentara.
However, court documents issued by the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts as reported by YouTuber KDH have revealed that the case has been dismissed.
The document is available to read in full on CourtListener, but the takeaway is short and sweet: the case has been dismissed, with no costs incurred for either party. No further details regarding the dismissal have been shared but, either way the, *checks notes* $69 Zentara is still available to buy.
Back in February, the makers of the Mu-Tron III pedal blasted Behringer for its $69 replica. It accused the “$2 billion company” of “assimilating the history of Musitronics as if it were their own”.
