SAVANT™ Files Complaint Against Crestron Electronics, Inc.

OSTERVILLE, Mass., Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Savant Systems LLC, having delivered the first Apple®-based home automation and control system, has announced today that it filed a Complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts against Crestron Electronics, Inc. of Rockleigh, New Jersey, charging Crestron with violations of antitrust laws, including the Sherman and Clayton Acts, as well as violations of the Lanham Act and state unfair competition laws.

Savant's Complaint alleges that Crestron has unlawfully sought to exclude Savant from the network of dealers who purchase programmable controllers for residential and commercial automation, particularly high-end home automation, from manufacturers like Crestron and Savant for resale to installers and end users in the market.  The Complaint alleges that Crestron's conduct has included entering into exclusionary agreements with dealers which preclude them from offering Savant's products, as well as threatening or financially disincentivizing dealers who offer or express an interest in offering Savant products.  It alleges that this conduct by Crestron is calculated to restrain competition from Savant by precluding its access to the dealer network and to protect Crestron's monopoly position in the market.

The Complaint also alleges that Crestron has repeatedly published knowingly false statements about Savant and its products, all with the intent to unfairly compete with Savant.

Robert Madonna, Savant's Chief Executive Officer, states that "We believe that Crestron's conduct has grown progressively worse.  Savant is left with no option but to seek legal relief to protect Savant, its dealers as well as end users who should enjoy the full range of choices among competitive product offerings in the market."

About Savant: Savant was founded by a core group of technology pioneers with hundreds of years of combined real-world experience in peripheral applications such as programmable systems, digital signal processing, telephony, switching systems, video processing, and home electronics integration. The Savant Team is committed to redefining the Home Control Systems industry with a visionary solution to home automation that emphasizes reliability and a maintenance-friendly open platform. The Savant product suite is distinguished by an unparalleled blend of cutting-edge technology and advanced next-generation graphics. www.savantav.com

SOURCE Savant