HiGame

When it comes to CPU coolers, cases, and other PC peripherals, Thermaltake has been a major presence for over a decade. The company’s reputation as a case designer is more mixed. While its designs are distinctive, early products like the Xaser and Kandalf were an un-ironic celebration of clashing plastic colors, cheap paint, and brilliant LEDs. Now, a manufacturer has publicly leveled serious charges at the firm. In a public letter posted to Facebook, CaseLabs has claimed that Thermaltake directly ripped off its own designs — and it’s got the invoices to prove it.

Before we dive into the specifics of the claim, we should note Thermaltake has a number of suspiciously similar products on the market and CaseLabs is far from the only company involved. LegitReviews has a round-up of Thermaltake hardware that practically plays the “spot the difference” game with rival manufacturers. From cases to controllers to fans, Thermaltake’s designs are often suspiciously “inspired” by the work other companies are doing.



CaseLabs, however, goes farther, alleging that Thermaltake’s lead case designer, Shannon Robb, openly attempted to photograph its*own designs before buying chassis and shipping them to Thermaltake HQ. Fast forward a year, and Thermaltake is introducing similar cases based on CaseLab’s previous prototypes. Fast forward a year after that, and ThermalTake is launching yet another set of hardware that copies CaseLabs designs. CaseLabs is understandably unhappy about the entire affair, given that it’s a small vendor with a fraction of the larger company’s resources and effort.



In this comparison, the Thermaltake Suppressor is on top, the Fractal Design is on bottom.


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