Re: Growler and other subs
Perhaps you should try something other than the free google patent search. And you are right, L'acoustics may not have any readily viewable US patents, try searching for international patents originating from oh, I don't know...France?!. This would probably require that you speak a language other than English and have access to more than a home internet connection. And your statement about JBL not having "more than a handful" -- are you sure about that or are you just limited in your ability to view patents based on your limited tools?
I don't buy this "what matters is the end product" crap. If any design can be easily and readily copied, no matter how much you like the guy building it, it sucks. Nobody copies the JBL Vertec line array because they simply can't do it, no matter how many resources they have they will never be able to match the manufacturing experience of JBL. At some point, a company with leading edge technology will have to design and manufacture the machines used to design and manufacture their products, making contract manufacturing irrelevant and outdated.
But, making junk with contract manufacturers and then reselling that junk at a profit by claiming that it is "custom" to hide its true origin is a very common business model in China. One would think the technique of all marketing, no manufacturing would be limited to developing countries. Guess its not. I'll sell you some "custom" airbags for your car if you are interested-- maybe you would be interested in "custom" beef from BPI?
Not sure what this "google patent search" is - I searched the USPTO data base directly with their own tools. I'll also admit to neither being an IP lawyer, nor spending a particularly large amount of time searching for patents. The search was merely to gather enough data to illustrate a point. And as Ivan points out, the patent system can be rather slow to function. It's not uncommon for a patent to take several years from application to issue.
Regarding contract manufacturing, it is evident from your post that you are not familiar with the modern world of contract manufacturing. Let us take the widely publicized example of Apple Computer, a company that few would argue is not one of the leading consumer electronics companies in the US, if not the world. Per the latest annual report published by Apple, they own a single manufacturing facility, located in Cork, Ireland. Yet most of their products say "Assembled in China" on them. How can this be? The answer is simple - the devices are built by a contract manufacturer in China (Foxconn is one, there are undoubtedly others). Apple has provided their CMs with a design, and the CM builds it under contract. This contract often includes stipulations about intellectual property, and the run rates that Apple expects. Apple then places orders with the CM for the product it has designed.
Now, one could argue that Apple makes commodity devices, and that there isn't really any special sauce in the hardware. And that may be true, or it may not. I won't argue that point; I have better things to do. But contract manufacturing also occurs at the other end of the spectrum, with things that are decidedly not commodity. Places like Advance Circuits (a pretty well known circuit board manufacturer) and any number of machine shops come to mind. As does a company by the name of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC). TSMC is one of the big chip fab companies, and they make the custom A5 and A6 chips that Apple uses in their hardware. And Apple is not alone in using TSMC and other contract fab companies. Other companies that contract out their semiconductor fabrication include names you might have heard of. Names like Qualcomm, Broadcom, Nvidia, ATI, and Marvell.
Closer to on topic, how many audio manufacturers do you think make the circuit boards that are integral to their products in-house? Care to name ones that do?
But no, contract manufacturing is only for knockoff products that anyone can make....
. His next question was where he can find out more about these growlers. 
~:-D~:grin:
