Andreas Pavel (born in 1945) is a German inventor who is the 'father' of the portable personal stereo cassette player, better known as the Walkman ^[1]. Pavel invented his device, the stereobelt, in 1972, and over the next few years, tried to interest companies like Grundig, Philips, and Yamaha in manufacturing it. In 1977, Pavel filed a patent in Italy on the device, followed by patents in the United States, Germany, England, and Japan. 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... An inventor is a person who creates new inventions, typically technical devices such as mechanical, electrical or software devices or methods. ... The personal stereo is the term given to a portable audio player using an audiocassette player. ... A standard audio cassette Cassette may refer to: A small cartridge of some form. ... SONY Recorder Walkman (TCM-S68V) MD Walkman Sony Walkman SRF-S84 transistor radio (released 2001), without earbuds The latest MP3 Walkman, the NW-A3000 The Walkman is a popular Sony brand used by the company to market its portable audio players, and is synonymously used to refer to the original... An ancestor of modern-day personal audio devices such as the iPod, the Stereobelt was a portable stereo audiocassette player invented in the year 1972 by the German Andreas Pavel. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...

In 1979, Sony began selling the popular Walkman, and in 1980 started legal talks with Pavel regarding a royalty fee. In 1986 Sony finally agreed to pay royalties to Pavel, but only for sales in Germany, and only for a few models, and refused to acknowledge him as the inventor of the device. Sony Corporation (Japanese katakana: ソニー) (TYO: 6758 , NYSE: SNE) is a global Japanese consumer electronics corporation based in Tokyo, Japan. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1989, Andreas Pavel started new proceedings, this time going through the law courts in the UK. Seven years later, the case was dismissed and Pavel was left with $3.6 million dollars worth court costs to pay. Then in 2001, Pavel threatened Sony with legal suits in every country in which he had patented his invention. The corporation agreed to resume talks with Pavel and a settlement was finally reached in 2003. 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...

The exact settlement fee is a closely guarded secret but European press accounts said that Pavel received a cash settlement for damages in excess of $10,000,000 and is now also receiving royalties on some Walkman sales ^[2]. The settlement also includes a clause which will prevent Pavel from bringing future law suits. The settlement grants Pavel the recognition from Sony that he was the original inventor of the Walkman; this apparently could only be achieved after the death of Akio Morita, the founder of Sony and previously-recognised creator of the personal stereo. Akio Morita (盛田昭夫 Morita Akio, January 26, 1921 in Nagoya, Japan - October 3, 1999 in Tokyo) was a co-founder of Sony Corporation. ... The personal stereo is the term given to a portable audio player using an audiocassette player. ...

Pavel reportedly had considered asking manufactures of MP3 music players for royalties, including Apple (for their popular iPod player). However, in December 2005 he said he did not intend to do so, not wishing to spend further time fighting lawsuits ^[3]. MP3 is a popular digital audio encoding and lossy compression format invented and standardized in 1991 by a team of engineers working in the framework of the ISO/IEC MPEG audio committee under the chairmanship of Professor Hans Musmann (University of Hannover - Germany). ... Apple Computer, Inc. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ...

He is now developing what he calls a "dreamkit", a "hand-held, multimedia, sense-extension device".

See also

• Stereobelt
• Walkman

An ancestor of modern-day personal audio devices such as the iPod, the Stereobelt was a portable stereo audiocassette player invented in the year 1972 by the German Andreas Pavel. ... SONY Recorder Walkman (TCM-S68V) MD Walkman Sony Walkman SRF-S84 transistor radio (released 2001), without earbuds The latest MP3 Walkman, the NW-A3000 The Walkman is a popular Sony brand used by the company to market its portable audio players, and is synonymously used to refer to the original...

External links

• United States Patent 5,201,003
• News.com - "Unlikely trendsetter made earphones a way of life"
• News.com - "Sony pays millions to inventor in Walkman dispute"
• Internation Herald Tribune - "Portable stereo's creator got his due, eventually" 12/16/05