UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
--------------------------
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): September 8, 1995
COBRA ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)
DELAWARE 0-511 36-2479991
(State of (Commission (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation) file number) Identification No.)
6500 WEST CORTLAND STREET
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60635
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (312) 889-8870
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ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS.
The Registrant issued a press release announcing that the Registrant
has entered into a licensing agreement with Code 3 (Registered
Trademark) to market the Registrant's Safety Alert (Trademark)
transmitter to police, fire, emergency services, road construction
and public utility organizations nationwide.
ITEM 7. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, PRO FORMA FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND
EXHIBITS.
(c) Exhibits.
Exhibit No. Description
20 Press Release dated September 7, 1995
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its
behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
COBRA ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Dated: September 8, 1995 By: Gerald M. Laures
-------------------------
Gerald M. Laures
Vice President - Finance and
Corporate Secretary
(Chief Financial and
Accounting Officer)
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Exhibit 20
Cobra Electronics Announces
Licensing Agreement with Code 3 (registered trademark)
To Market Safety Alert (trademark) Transmitter
New Device Designed for Law Enforcement
and Emergency Vehicle Personnel Safety
Patent Application Approved
Transmitter Warns Motorists with Safety Receivers
of Emergency Situations
New York, NY, September 7, 1995 -- Cobra Electronics Corporation, a
leader in the development of safety/radar detection systems and other consumer
electronics products, and Code 3, the leading worldwide producer and
distributor of emergency vehicle warning equipment, today announced an
agreement to market Cobra's Safety Alert (trademark) transmitter to police,
fire, emergency services, road construction and public utility organizations
nationwide. The new safety device, which will be issued a patent this fall,
will carry both the Cobra and Code 3 names.
The Safety Alert (trademark) transmitter is designed to transmit signals
from police and other vehicles involved in an emergency or road hazard
situations directly to motorists. The signal is then picked up by all radar
detectors currently in use or available for sale. In addition to law
enforcement and emergency vehicle markets, Code 3 will also offer the
transmitter to the "amber market" -- the public utility and road construction
vehicles which are frequent roadside hazards.
"More policemen are killed in the line of duty in auto pursuits than by
gunfire. This new device can change that situation and make a very real
difference," said John Pohl, Vice President of Marketing, Cobra Electronics
Corporation. "With the Safety Alert system, the lives of police officers,
fire fighters, ambulance and road crews -- as well as the general public --
will be much safer. We see our mission as moving ahead to put this important
tool where it belongs -- in the hands of emergency and roadside utility
personnel. We're working closely with Code 3 to reach these markets."
The Safety Alert (trademark) transmitter will be built by Alpha
Industries, Inc., a commercial wireless semiconductor, Gallium Arsenide
Monolithic Microwave Integrated circuit (GaAsMMIC) and ceramic component
manufacturer in radio, microwave and millimeter-wave frequencies. Noted Mr.
Pohl, "Because people's lives will depend upon the reliability of the
transmitter, we need the highest-quality manufacturer available. We know
Alpha will deliver."
Safety Alert (Trademark): How It Works
When an emergency vehicle is moving at a high speed, the Cobra Safety
Alert (trademark) transmitter sends a signal to every radar detector up to
three-quarters of a mile away. It works in fog, snow and even around curves
-- conditions where a vehicle or hazard cannot be easily seen or heard.
Once the emergency vehicle reaches its destination -- and if the vehicle
is parked in such a way that it represents a road hazard -- the transmitter
emits a different signal to warn drivers. This "road hazard" signal will also
be transmitted by public utility and road construction vehicles whether parked
or moving slowly.
Independent tests indicate that drivers with detectors are actually safer
drivers. When their detectors sound a warning signal, drivers slow down and
look for potential hazards.
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Cobra-Engineered Technology
Developed by a Cobra engineering team headed by David Oliva, the Safety
Alert (trademark) transmitter works automatically to make police, rescue and
other highway work safer. A small box with a self-contained transmitter is
installed easily on any emergency, utility or construction vehicle. It is
linked to the emergency light control, so when the emergency lights are turned
on, the transmitter automatically sends out a safety alert signal. With
almost 20 million radar detectors on the road, the signal will be received by
many drivers. And when these drivers slow down in response, studies show that
many nearby drivers will do the same. When the emergency lights are turned
off, the transmitter is turned off too.
The FCC-approved Cobra Safety Alert (trademark) transmitter, which has
had its patent application approved and is scheduled to be issued its patent
by November, 1995, currently transmits at two frequencies: one for an
"emergency vehicle" (fast-moving vehicle) warning and one for a "roadside
hazard" (parked or slow-moving vehicle) warning. A third frequency, for
railroad trains, is in development. Older and less sophisticated radar
detectors pick up these frequencies and sound an alert signal identical to the
one emitted when a K-Bank speed monitoring device is used. In addition,
"intelligent" detection systems, including three models marketed by Cobra, are
capable of emitting a differentiated signal for each of the transmitter's
frequencies.
Selling Safety Alert (trademark)
Code 3 is a division of Public Safety Equipment, Inc. The world leader in
warning lights, sirens, back-up alarms and traffic directing lights to police,
emergency and utility vehicle fleets.
According to Fred Twichell, Vice President of Sales for Code 3, "Safety
Alert (trademark) will be highly beneficial to public agencies. In addition
to improving highway safety, it will lead to dramatic reductions in vehicular
repair expense and liability insurance."
The Safety Alert (trademark) transmitter will be available for $299.
Code 3 will begin taking orders from police, fire, emergency services and the
"amber market" in September; the product is slated to ship in October.
Cobra Electronics Corporation (NASDAQ: COBR), with headquarters in
Chicago, IL, designs and markets consumer electronics, including
telecommunications products, safety/radar detection systems and citizens band
radios in the U.S. and around the world.
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