We-Vibe
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We-Vibe is a brand of
sex toy A sex toy is an object or device that is primarily used to facilitate human sexual pleasure, such as a dildo, artificial vagina or vibrator. Many popular sex toys are designed to resemble human genitals, and may be vibrating or non-vibratin ...
s manufactured by Standard Innovation, a company founded by a Canadian couple in 2003. It is one of Canada's largest producers of adult toys. The company has sold millions of devices since the launch of its first vibrator in 2008. It has been the recipient of over twenty awards including the best couples sex toy at the Sexual Health Expo in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.


History

We-Vibe was created by Standard Innovation, a Canadian company founded by the married couple Bruce and Melody Murison. Bruce Murison previously worked in the
semiconductor A semiconductor is a material which has an electrical resistivity and conductivity, electrical conductivity value falling between that of a electrical conductor, conductor, such as copper, and an insulator (electricity), insulator, such as glas ...
and
manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a r ...
industries. Both were former employees of the telecommunications company
Nortel Nortel Networks Corporation (Nortel), formerly Northern Telecom Limited, was a Canadian multinational telecommunications and data networking equipment manufacturer headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in Montreal, Quebec, ...
, which went bankrupt. They started Standard Innovation in 2003 but did not publicize what the company was working on until the launch of the first product in 2008. The company released the first We-Vibe couple's vibrator, a small U or C-shaped device designed to be worn by a woman during sex and over the
pubic bone In vertebrates, the pubic region ( la, pubis) is the most forward-facing ( ventral and anterior) of the three main regions making up the coxal bone. The left and right pubic regions are each made up of three sections, a superior ramus, inferior ...
, with one end inserted vaginally and the other end resting against the clitoris. Soon after, the company gained the endorsement of Sue Johanson, a Canadian
sex educator Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduc ...
, and
Mehmet Oz Mehmet Cengiz Öz (; born June 11, 1960), known professionally as Dr. Oz (), is an Turkish American former professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Columbia University, television presenter, author and former political candidate. The son of Tur ...
, a surgeon and host of the talk show ''The Dr. Oz Show.'' In 2009, We-Vibe was recognized as the best-selling toy at
Venus Award The Venus Award is a film award in the adult film industry presented yearly in Berlin since 1997 as part of the Venus Berlin trade fair, an international erotic trade festival, on the exhibition grounds at the Funkturm. Prizes are offered in ...
in
Berlin, Germany Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constituent ...
. Since its release, the brand has seen significant popularity and sales. Adult toy experts believe this may be due to the brand's mainstream consumer marketing strategy, product design, and discrete packaging. The product has also gained popularity among celebrities. On several occasions, We-Vibe products have been added to "Oscar bags" given to guests attending the
Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
. At the 2012 Super Bowl in
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, We-Vibe products were given as gifts to notable guests. Standard Innovation has used legal means in an attempt to protect its
intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
. In early 2012, the company filed a complaint with the
United States International Trade Commission The United States International Trade Commission (USITC or I.T.C.) is an agency of the United States federal government that advises the legislative and executive branches on matters of trade. It is an independent, bipartisan entity that analyze ...
(USITC) against
LELO LELO is a Swedish company that designs and sells upmarket sex toys. Products are massed produced in Suzhou Industrial Park, China. Lelo may also refer to: * ''Lelo'' (newspaper), a Georgian language sports newspaper * Lelo, a style of Georgian ...
and others for infringing on Standard Innovation's patent for the adult toys designed to be worn while a couple has sex. The two companies settled the patent disputes in 2016. In 2014, We-Vibe released a new iteration of the company's couples vibrator, the We-Vibe 4 Plus. In addition to the remote control included in previous models, this version featured a
Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limi ...
-enabled vibrator with mobile app connectivity features. For the first time, the company's products could be controlled by a partner over long distances and from anywhere in the world where a user can access an internet-connected
smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...
device. In January 2015, the We-Vibe 4 Plus was awarded the best couples sex toy at the Sexual Health Expo in Los Angeles. By 2015, We-Vibe had sold nearly 4 million couples vibrators. In 2018, We-Vibe merged with
Womanizer Womanizer may refer to: * "Womanizer" (term), a promiscuous heterosexual man * "Womanizer" (song), a 2008 song by Britney Spears * "Womanizer", a 1977 song by Blood, Sweat & Tears from '' Brand New Day'' * ''Womanizer'', a 2004 album by Absolute ...
.


Controversy

In 2016, two hackers reported that the app was collecting data on its use. Following the revelations, a lawsuit was filed against the company, claiming the app violated its users' privacy. In March 2017, the company agreed to a settlement of approximately US$3.2 million, resulting in up to US$127 for each claimant.


See also

*
Teledildonics Teledildonics (also known as cyberdildonics) is the name coined for virtual sex encounters using networked, electronic sex toys to mimic and extend human sexual interaction. The term became known after technology critic and writer Howard Rheingold ...
*
OhMiBod OhMiBod is an American company that manufactures sex toys, based in New Hampshire, United States. Overview Its name has been used as a collective reference to a range of remote controlled vibrating sex toys. The device originally translated an ...
*
Lovense Lovense is a Singapore-based sex tech company specializing in the development of remotely controlled sex toys and pleasure products, as well as accompanying software. History Lovense was founded by Dan Liu in 2010. The company was inspired by ...
*
Lovehoney Lovehoney is a British business that sells sex toys, lingerie and erotic gifts on the Internet. Their tagline is "the sexual happiness people". In addition to retailing, Lovehoney has over 400 own brand products and does development and publicit ...


References


External links

* {{Official website, https://www.we-vibe.com/ Canadian companies established in 2003 Sex toy manufacturers Companies based in Ottawa Technology companies of Canada Manufacturing companies of Canada