Last month, we presented our first episode of the "Astonishing History of Synthesizers," which explained how the light bulb is actually the true origin of the synthesizer. Today, we're presenting episode two of our series, this time focused on that tentpole lawsuit we've all heard of but probably know little about—the true story behind the ARP vs. Moog lawsuit during the synth boom of the 1970s.
The commonly referenced lore about the synth 'suits of the '70s mostly revolve around other companies infringing on Moog's filter patent—ARP, for example, had been using the filter in the ARP 2600 and elsewhere, which is what Moog went after them for. But what you may not have heard about is how Moog was actually likewise infringing upon ARP's patents at exactly the same time.
Be sure to check out the full episode above to learn the true story, with all of its nuances, behind the major synth lawsuits of the mid-1970s.