Competitor bites back in suit filed by Boyd-founded company
Radio Systems Corp., the pet products company founded by Randy Boyd in Knoxville more than 30 years ago, has officially changed its name to PetSafe Brands.
“With the rollout of our new ambitious strategic plan, our new company purpose and our new company values, we felt it was also the right time to update our corporate name to better reflect that we are home to some of the most influential brands in our industry,” said CEO Rob Candelino in a press release.
The rebranding comes in the middle of a lawsuit filed last November by Radio Systems Corp. in U.S. District Court that alleges unfair competition and false advertising by Texas-based Protect Animals With Satellites, which manufactures the Halo Collar.
Who owns PetSafe Brands now and is Randy Boyd still involved?
Boyd, president of the University of Tennessee System, founded the Radio Fence Corporation in Knoxville in 1991 and changed its name the following year to include products like bark collars and remote trainers.
Boyd sold Radio Systems Corp. in June 2020 to Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, an international private investment firm, but continues to serve on the board of directors. Radio Systems remains headquartered in Knoxville and produces over 4,600 pet products under brand names such as Invisible Fence, PetSafe and SportDOG.
What does lawsuit about PetSafe’s competitor allege?
Both Radio Systems Corp. and PAWS offer GPS-based pet containment systems that use a GPS receiver collar designed to keep a dog inside a perimeter defined using a mobile app, the complaint states. The complaint alleges PAWS advertises its Halo Collar containment system with false and misleading statements, boasting that the newest Halo Collar is the most accurate GPS-based system on the market.
These fraudulent claims divert sales away from Radio Systems Corp. to capture market share and profits, the complaint alleges. The complaint goes further, saying the PAWS product’s poor performance causes customers to become “extremely dissatisfied and distrustful” of GPS-based pet containment systems, poisoning the well for all such systems in general and the Guardian GPS Pet Fence in particular.
What does PAWS response to lawsuit allege?
In response to the suit, PAWS filed a response that alleges Radio Systems Corp. initially tried to purchase PAWS and the Halo Collar technology, which it praised as “world-class technology.” When talks broke down, “this jilted competitor hastily released its own competing GPS fence product in late 2023,” the response states.
According to PAWS, the testing Radio Systems Corp. offers as evidence to undermine PAWS’ statements is “fundamentally flawed and unreliable,” adding, “In fact, independent testing done using a more rigorous methodology reveals that the Halo Collar surpasses RSC’s competing product.”
Liz Kellar is a Tennessee Connect reporter. Email liz.kellar@knoxnews.com.
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