CES 2017 was memorable for lot plenty of good reasons, but now that the show is over we’re starting to hear about a few particularly bad reasons to remember this year’s show. The day after Razer reported several prototypes were stolen from the press room of their CES booth, we’ve learned that the Epsilon CES booth was also burgled, with several unreleased units now missing. One connection that can be made between both thefts is that multi-screen devices were involved.
Epsilon Electronics is an after-market automotive audio and video company and is the parent company for brands such as Soundstream, Power Acoustik, Precision Power, Farenheit, and NESA. A total of seven units were taken from the booth at some point after the CES show had closed. Employees returned to the booth on Monday, January 9th to find the booth in disarray and several units were missing.
The theft does appear to be targeted, as the stolen items were all newer units, two of which were unveiled for the first time just days earlier. The most valuable item taken was the Soundstream VRN-DD7HB dual-screen source unit, which is not yet available to the public.
In a press note released earlier today, Epsilon representatives had the following to say:
“We are taking this situation very seriously,” said Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Epsilon Electronics Inc., Paul Goldberg. “We are working closely with local authorities and Las Vegas Convention Center staff to make sure the perpetrators are brought to justice.”
“The targeted theft of prototypes suggests that the purpose is to copy our hard work and compromise our investment in product development,” Goldberg continued. “Whoever is to blame represents the very lowest level of integrity in our business and must be stopped.”
Epsilon has offered a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of any individuals involved in this theft. I will once again hope that someone saw something that leads to the apprehension of anyone involved.
CES is a great show, and it stinks to see these two instances of theft — whether it be a simple robbery, or corporate espionage — tarnish what was otherwise a fun look at what’s up and coming in the world of technology.
