THE WALKMAN WAR

In the early 1970s, moving between São Paulo, Milan, London, and Germany, Andreas Pavel invented the Stereobelt, the world’s first personal stereo player. When the Japanese company Sony began selling its famous Walkman in 1979, a 20-year legal battle broke out between this unknown inventor and one of the most powerful electronics multinationals.

During this astounding trial, Pavel defended the perspective of someone who had achieved his vision – in which a device freed humanity to listen to music anywhere and anytime – nearly ten years before Sony introduced the Walkman. The inventor was convinced that the company had made unscrupulous use of his patents. How did this unknown man, who claimed he was dispossessed by the multinational, successfully assert his rights?

Andreas Pavel looks back at this little-known battle, and gives us access to his personal archives. Now freed of their duty of confidentiality, the lawyers who were involved reveal what truly happened behind the scenes. In exploring this extraordinary case of a modern David vs. Goliath – a complex affair full of twists and turns – the film focuses on the true origin of an invention that revolutionized our relation to music.