“Instead of creating a polyphonic tuner itself, it simply knocked off Empower’s patented device instead”: Behringer sues Boss over “knock off” polyphonic tuner

Behringer’s owner has filed a lawsuit against Boss and parent company Roland over its use of polyphonic tuning technology in several of its amp modeling and multi-FX pedals.

The lawsuit is from Empower Tribe, which owns Behringer and TC Electronic, and claims Roland has produced a “knock off” of its patented polyphonic tuner.

As a result, Boss has removed the feature from many of its flagship devices, including the GT‑1000, GT‑1000CORE, GX‑100, and GX‑10.

“As of March 2026, in light of pending litigation concerning certain aspects of polyphonic tuning functionality, we have decided to remove the polyphonic tuner function from the GT‑1000, GT‑1000CORE, GX‑100, and GX‑10,” the company says.

“Although Roland [which owns Boss] has developed many patented products on its own,” the lawsuit documentation reads, “it decided that instead of creating a polyphonic tuner itself, it would simply knock off Empower’s patented device instead.”

As Cordy notes, the PolyTune isn’t the world’s only polyphonic tuner, and the Boss pedals it formerly existed in weren’t direct competitors; tuners were simply one feature among many. The Boss GX-10, for instance, offers 32 amp models, a monophonic tuner, a looper, and multiple effects. So the waters could be deemed a little murky here.

“[The] defendants have never sought or obtained a licence of the patent, and are not authorized to practice any claim of that patent,” the documentation also attests.

It also goes on to say that Empower Tribe had contacted Roland about “reaching an amicable solution,” but claims that Roland “denied infringement” and “refused to negotiate a potential settlement.” This month, Boss removed the polyphonic tuners from those devices, although the units still feature a monophonic tuner.

The lawsuit is steeped in irony, given Behringer has a reputation in the guitar gear community for making cheaper versions of iconic pedal designs – in 2006, Boss sued Behringer over its entire stompbox line, forcing the German firm to redesign its devices. Just last year, it launched a clone of the Boss CE-1.

Behringer was also recently the subject of a lawsuit by Klon Centaur creator Bill Finnegan, forcing the firm to make changes to its Klon copy in an apparent attempt to avoid legal repercussions.

Notably, the Klon versus Behringer case was ultimately dismissed, so we may see a similar outcome repeated in this instance, too.

A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He’s also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.