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In a recent fallout, JerryRigEverything and Dbrand are suing accessories maker Casetify for allegedly stealing their phone case designs. The tech YouTuber uploaded a video to the platform detailing how the corporate giant has resued the designs scanned by the Dbrand and him. As per the video, everything from smartphone cases to laptop skins has been repurposed and sold for a profit. Casetify is now facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit for copyright infringement.
Following the revelations, Casetify has taken down all listings that had copied designs from the skins maker, Dbrand. The company even posted on X (formerly Twitter), outlining they are currently "investigating" the allegations. The response also outlines the Casetify website faced a DDOS attack before the YouTube video was uploaded, further intensifying things.
But why are the companies at loggerheads? Let's delve deep into the lawsuit and try to answer the question.
Casetify has extensively copied JerryRigEverything's designs despite being a giant in the accessories space
Zack Nelson, who goes by the online persona "JerryRigEverything," uploaded a 13-minute long video detailing how Casetify has blatantly plagiarised the Teardown lineup of cases built in collaboration with Dbrand.
According to the video, Casetify reportedly copy-pasted the skin designs from the Dbrand website without even bothering to physically scan the cases after buying them. The Casetify skins have been taken down since, but you can still view them via a Web Archiver link.
Teardown skins are rather difficult to make, according to Nelson. After a smartphone is scanned, each skin undergoes a thorough editing process in which extra details are added, the main components are highlighted, and the overall aesthetic is improved.
Moreover, gadget skin makers Dbrand and Zack have carefully planted multiple easter eggs in each skin, most of which have been found on Casetify products as well. This further grounds the truth that they copied JerryRigEverything's work.
Zack notes that this isn't the first time someone has tried to steal their scanned case designs to make profits. However, it is different for Casetify since they are worth a billion dollars and, according to the YouTuber, have the resources to pull off something like scanning the internals of smartphones for cases.
"This isn't about the money. Theft is just not cool and I think the biggest way we can teach Casetify a lesson is with a multi-million dollar lawsuit. Getting hit in the wallet is what hurts these giant corporations the most." - Zack Nelson
In the video, he says that there is a possibility no one will win the lawsuit. He also mentions that the ways of the law are slow, and it might take some time for a concrete decision to be made on the allegations.
JerryRigEverything won't be using the lawsuit money for personal gain
In his video, Zack outlined that he would not be using the lawsuit money for their gains. The YouTuber will invest a portion of his money into his wheelchair startup, which creates motorized chairs for the disabled. He will invest in laser cutters and CNC mandrel tube benders, besides giving away wheelchairs for free.
JerryRigEverything stressed that he has no problem with competition. In his video, he says, "Competition is a marvelous thing." He also noted that he isn't a "legal action kind of guy," but since this a David versus Goliath situation in which "Goliath doesn't have the obligation to remove [his] products from the website" after a callout on social media, he decided to knock on Uncle Sam's door.
