Thermaltake 'designs' at Computex 2015 look familiar

[jmotyka]

If your really support companies who copy other companies just because this product is more accessible to you or you think it is better quality....then your a bloody idiot! Thermaltake has blatantly committed copyright and patent infringements. And for years they have done this! Purposefully stealing a design or two or more from a company who probably built this company and patent portfolio from the ground up is wrong! I don't care how you look at it from a consumer standpoint! And you really can't say " oh well caselabs cases look somewhat like cases from from the 90's so its OK if thermaltake completely rips off case labs, they deserve it!" Because if you do your and idiot! Designing a product with inspiration from a competitors product is OK, but completely and purposefully stealing a design are two different ball games!

On a sidenote a buddy of mine recently decided (even though i told him not to) to buy a thermaltake power supply to power his new rig. Not even a week in the power supply completely fryed every piece of hardware connected to the power supply. I think without a doubt thermaltake is barely floating above water with the product lines and are trying to cut costs at every corner at the cost of the consumer! Thermaltake I hope gets a lawsuit slapped on their hands from multiple companies and countries! Their engineers should really be ashamed!

 

[sonsonate]

BTW FWIW I voted yes, but I don't see any harm in it.


I'm not tarring Caselabs with the same brush believe me as I feel their case (pardon the pun) is very different and a lot more complex. But, the undeniable fact is you can not buy a Caselabs officially in the UK. The only way to import costs $180 or more in shipping and then another £150 in taxes and import fees. That means you are looking at £350 minimum for their base line cheap case.

Being honest here once TTake release that case I will buy it. I wanted Caselabs at the start but could not afford it without cutting the spec, so I will be buying one.

For Caselabs to come out and complain about it is rather silly. The world revolves around fashions and I absolutely 100% assure you that Caselabs did not originally design huge computers that looked like that. Those were around in the late 90s and were super computers.

What I'm saying is this. Caselabs are not completely ground up original. Some of their designs and so on are taken from other things. IE - how many computer cases that will hold your computer parts were designed and made before Caselabs came along?

I recall having a case in the late 90s which was cubed and looked pretty much identical on the outside to one of Caselab's cases.

It happens.

From Caselabs About just in case you don't want to take my word that they've been around a while:

"We have been building enclosures for electronic, military, medical, and industrial applications since 1971. "

http://www.caselabs-store.com/about-us/

Also, the article makes it pretty clear that these Thermaltake folks just bought some cases and rebadged or just directly copied, so it's not like OOPS IT JUST HAPPENS.

 

[AngryGoldfish]

Copying Caselabs is somewhat understandable and a blessing to those who cannot afford the 'real deal'. But it's also manipulative and harmful to a company that both rests on its laurels and continuously innovates at the same time, which is a hard thing to do. Being a US company producing top-tier products in their home country for such a niche market must be a real challenge.

But copying Fractal as well? That's just taking the piss. Fractal are more than capable of handling themselves and any wannabe competitors, but at least copying Caselabs allows a wider array of consumers to get into modifying and high-end system building.

What should have gone down is Thermaltake talking to Caselabs and coming to a business agreement. That's how shit should have been done. If Caselabs said no, you walk away and try to create your own versions of innovation, not your own versions of Caselabs' innovation.

I was interested in what Thermaltake were doing as we need more cube cases with horizontal motherboard trays, but ultimately they're not as good as Caselabs and I don't appreciate their attitude.

 

[AlienALX]

Copying Caselabs is somewhat understandable and a blessing to those who cannot afford the 'real deal'. But it's also manipulative and harmful to a company that both rests on its laurels and continuously innovates at the same time, which is a hard thing to do. Being a US company producing top-tier products in their home country for such a niche market must be a real challenge.

But copying Fractal as well? That's just taking the piss. Fractal are more than capable of handling themselves and any wannabe competitors, but at least copying Caselabs allows a wider array of consumers to get into modifying and high-end system building.

What should have gone down is Thermaltake talking to Caselabs and coming to a business agreement. That's how shit should have been done. If Caselabs said no, you walk away and try to create your own versions of innovation, not your own versions of Caselabs' innovation.

I was interested in what Thermaltake were doing as we need more cube cases with horizontal motherboard trays, but ultimately they're not as good as Caselabs and I don't appreciate their attitude.

It's not harmful.

Example. Randy the American is about to build a computer of epic show off proportions. He looks about for, not the nicest, or the best value for money product but the most expensive high end one money can buy. You can't show off with a fake. He then proceeds to spend $4000 on four Titan X and then another couple of grand on water cooling, ram water cooling, stupid little heatsink on the back of a fan controller water cooling ETC.

To me Caselabs are quite plain. But I like that. Sadly I don't like paying the price of the case again just to get one in my house. I draw the line at that.

If there wasn't a market for a clone of a Caselabs then there wouldn't be a market for a Caselabs. But these are totally, completely separate markets.

Actually thinking for a moment one could actually even commend Thermaltake for taking a design that clearly works and then making it affordable to the millions of poor sods who don't have a job that pays them far too much money.

We all go "Pah ! what a rip off!" but I would bet that at least once in all of our lives we have bought something Jekyl (Jekyl and Hyde, snide).

For example the millions of kids who desperately wanted an Alienware yet, like most of us when growing up, didn't have rich parents who would even dream of spending four grand on a PC.

Why should people like that go without?

It won't hurt Caselabs one bit. Part of what makes their product desirable is the price, and many who buy them are of the sort who know that most normal people can't afford it and that's why they buy it.

So they can come on the internet giving it the big one saying "Look how big my Epeen is".

 

[peanutsrevenge]

Why should people like that go without?

Because we live under a system that requires inequality throughout, which means most of us have to go without, sell our souls to have a chance at choice or be one of the really luck few who excel at something, are able to pursue it and end up being rewarded for their talent.

 

[MSIRawZ]

#Thermalgate

 

[JMMP]

It should have a "WTF Thermaltakyyy!!!" option on the poll!!!!

 

[AngryGoldfish]

It's not harmful.

Example. Randy the American is about to build a computer of epic show off proportions. He looks about for, not the nicest, or the best value for money product but the most expensive high end one money can buy. You can't show off with a fake. He then proceeds to spend $4000 on four Titan X and then another couple of grand on water cooling, ram water cooling, stupid little heatsink on the back of a fan controller water cooling ETC.

To me Caselabs are quite plain. But I like that. Sadly I don't like paying the price of the case again just to get one in my house. I draw the line at that.

If there wasn't a market for a clone of a Caselabs then there wouldn't be a market for a Caselabs. But these are totally, completely separate markets.

Actually thinking for a moment one could actually even commend Thermaltake for taking a design that clearly works and then making it affordable to the millions of poor sods who don't have a job that pays them far too much money.

We all go "Pah ! what a rip off!" but I would bet that at least once in all of our lives we have bought something Jekyl (Jekyl and Hyde, snide).

For example the millions of kids who desperately wanted an Alienware yet, like most of us when growing up, didn't have rich parents who would even dream of spending four grand on a PC.

Why should people like that go without?

It won't hurt Caselabs one bit. Part of what makes their product desirable is the price, and many who buy them are of the sort who know that most normal people can't afford it and that's why they buy it.

So they can come on the internet giving it the big one saying "Look how big my Epeen is".

I do know what you mean, and I would have agreed if it weren't for the fact that they copied Fractal as well. I commend Thermaltake for bringing the designs to the mass market, but that could be destructive to Caselabs. I'm not saying it will, but it could be. This is what I was trying to convey. Economically I don't know what the story would be, but to see your designs taken from you like that, that's destructive to the community of developers. It goes deeper than economics.

I'm a semi-pro guitarist and always see shit like this. The industry thrives on copies, clones and re-imaginings. But when one large corporation copies another large corporation, it makes their shit stink pretty badly. We all have smelly shit, but it's worse when it's right in front of you everywhere you go.

 

[CreatiXx]

ofc it will hurt Caselabs multiple bits, all the sales that TT makes of these cases is wat CL and all the others lose.. + they still arent that cheap even though they're ripp offs. Its not always about ''''epeen''' but maybe just because they're that exclusive with a lot of optimization for the non-modders among us.

And i dont really get your 'example'?

 

[SuB]

#Thermalgate

This right here, QFT

ofc it will hurt Caselabs multiple bits, all the sales that TT makes of these cases is wat CL and all the others lose..

Nah, if people weren't going to buy a Caselabs then they still won't if people wanted a premium case like caselabs, they'll get a caselabs.

People who don't know any different / can't afford it, aren't a lost sale at all, they've just chosen something else.

No-one in the know is suddenly going to not drop 600 quid on a caselabs and get a crappy TT case.

It's a similar thing with software piracy, the people who pirate the software, generally, were never going to buy it anyway, so it's not truly a lost sale. (touchy subject I know)

 

[Greenback]

People thinking these are going to be cheap could be disappointed, It wouldn't surprise me if TT sale them for virtually the same price you could get a CL case for there's a reason they have copied a premiere case so they can charge premiere prices for cheap poor quality crap

 

[AlienALX]

This right here, QFT



Nah, if people weren't going to buy a Caselabs then they still won't if people wanted a premium case like caselabs, they'll get a caselabs.

People who don't know any different / can't afford it, aren't a lost sale at all, they've just chosen something else.

No-one in the know is suddenly going to not drop 600 quid on a caselabs and get a crappy TT case.

It's a similar thing with software piracy, the people who pirate the software, generally, were never going to buy it anyway, so it's not truly a lost sale. (touchy subject I know)

^ that. No one is going to build a ten thousand dollar rig into a TT.

I'm probably going to get one though. I need more space to AIO cool my Titans because even the Cosmos 2 is a little too small.

But then I didn't buy any water cooling gear or anything of the sort,my money went on performance.

I would still buy a Caselabs but not for £600.

Sorry.

Edit. Greenback. Steel is far cheaper than alu mate.

 

[SuB]

People thinking these are going to be cheap could be disappointed, It wouldn't surprise me if TT sale them for virtually the same price you could get a CL case for there's a reason they have copied a premiere case so they can charge premiere prices for cheap poor quality crap

Even if they price match, they'll sell direct to UK, so they won't have crazy shipping, and import duty to pay. So probably more like half price delivered.

 

[Christige]

Well done Tom, just about the only thing you can do in this situation is to raise awareness of the issues so that any builders wishing to use these cases understands what the product is. It is harmful to the industry to have companies copy each other this directly but it is also something that happens all over the world and has done for years.

What they are doing is not just, but I do think that they have made a move that can be seen in a less negative way. It seems no different to me than buying a cheap pair of Aviators (including an anagram of the brand name no less) off of ebay instead of proper Ray-Bans. Yes, I am sure designer sunglass companies love the cheap eyewear taking their sales but it only raises the prestige of their brand as they do so. Whether you could say the same about disassembling and reproducing a product mm perfect, I would like to say this is a tad more unscrupulous but still within the realms of industry practice elsewhere.

Whichever way it is looked at, this situation can only be bad for Thermaltake if they don't deal with the issue appropriately. I also believe that if we continue to respond like this, other companies will not follow suit. They may have the cheapest product but with the community of system builders and enthusiasts (which I presume to be a high proportion of the industry) against them, they will be left to the naive few buyers. I just hope that their endeavour is unsuccessul and is met with resistance so that it doesn't become commonplace because that may reduce the level of future innovation in ideas and design. Although it would be hard to consider innovation in cost-cutting as not a good thing, it has to be done the right way. Copying, in my view, is not a genuine innovation and shouldn't be supported.

 

[Feronix]

People thinking these are going to be cheap could be disappointed, It wouldn't surprise me if TT sale them for virtually the same price you could get a CL case for there's a reason they have copied a premiere case so they can charge premiere prices for cheap poor quality crap

Their R5 ripoff is more expensive than the original R5...

 

[Greenback]

Their R5 ripoff is more expensive than the original R5...

doesn't surprise me tbh, I think SUB is underestimating how much TT will charge for CL look a likes.
It's when posts and pictures start appearing of CL cases with poor quality cheap materials and CL may lose some of their reputation as a great company when those cases are actually TT 's

Personally I wouldn't touch anything with TT name on b4 this even less chance now

 

[bleucharm28]

I can't believe how this topic even comes up. It just seems silly and makes CASELABS a very insecure company or maybe...just maybe... CASELABS is being a bully; a wolf in sheep clothing??

I can't really speak for TT because I don't own that case, but I am a owner of the CASELABS Mercury S3 case and I am extremely happy with the product and looking into my next build; I think I am going to get Mercury S8.

Before watching TTom video, I have noticed from watching other CES videos that the Thermaltake new cases does definitely show similarities & resemblance of CASELABS cases, plus many other cases and products.

Is that going to stop people like me stop buying cases from CASELABS? NO! And is because I know for a "FACT" that CASELABS stand behind their product. I know every single parts down to the nuts and bolts are nothing but HIGH QUALITY materials. To simplified this term, "YOU GET WHAT YOU PAID FOR". that it, is that simple.

I am very curious as to how the build quality is on the Thermaltake so I might even buy one.

This message is to the Vice President of CASELAB Kevin. I am not sure if you are insecure about your products or are you simply being a Bully. If you truly in fact stand TRUE in your products, you shouldn't even worry about your competitor.

If someone truly wanted to copy your design, anyone can buy it online and simply make thousands of copy. I think Thermaltake bought your case simply fact is they truly like your design and YES they did in fact copy as much as they can to cases like yours.

My advice is to you is you keep your employees happy, and you keep you design fresh and innovative. And your new and Lloyd customer will be with you forever.

Thanks for reading. Good Day!

 

[Mathius]

A copy? yes indeedy...

From the business stand-point I can see why Caselabs are gonna be outraged, but then from a customer standpoint, I can see the angle they went for, all-be-it wrong, premium looking case for less money.

 

[mrmeep]

Wow. Shameless.

It's like they're not aware of these things called websites that can show direct technical and image based comparisons.

Until I start seeing "OK, we're sorry, we got it way wrong and have changed our approach and sacked everyone" on Facebook/Reddit/Overclockers/OC3D they're definitely a brand to avoid.

Not just the design stealing but cutting corners/cheaper materials too? No thanks.


Yours,

A very happy Fractal Designs R4 owner who would look to them for a new case next and then see if anything could accommodate my needs better.
Why would I then go for a (more cheaply made) copy?

For shame, Thermaltake. For shame

 

[Permafrost]

#Thermalgate

watch out they might clone that too...