Infringement Lawsuit: Dbrand Takes Legal Action Against Casetify for Copying Teardown Designs

Dbrand, a leading device skin company known for its humorous approach to trolling brands like Sony and Nintendo, is embroiled in its own legal saga. The company has filed a lawsuit against rival Casetify, claiming that Casetify unlawfully copied Dbrand’s Teardown device skins and cases. These products are designed to resemble the inner workings of phones, tablets, and laptops.

Dbrand first unveiled its Teardown products in 2019 in collaboration with YouTuber JerryRigEverything. The Teardown skins and cases create the illusion of a disassembled device, with transparent backing that is actually a vinyl decal or a case. Despite the apparent simplicity of affixing a decal to the back of a phone, creating these designs is a meticulous process. Dbrand painstakingly disassembles each device, scans the internals with a commercial-grade machine, and meticulously edits the images to create the designs.

Casetify allegedly replicated Dbrand’s designs for its own phone cases, marketed under the name Inside Parts. However, users noticed discrepancies in the designs. Upon closer inspection, it became evident that Casetify had reused the same image of internals across different phone models. This discovery sparked Dbrand to call out Casetify on social media.

In response, Casetify launched a new line of transparent-style phone cases called Inside Out, this time with designs consistent with the devices they were created for. Dbrand alleges that Casetify stole these designs while attempting to modify them to appear slightly different. Upon examination, Dbrand found numerous Easter eggs it had embedded within its designs on Casetify’s products, further confirming its suspicions.

Convinced that Casetify unlawfully appropriated its designs, Dbrand filed a federal lawsuit in Canadian courts seeking substantial damages. Although Casetify promptly removed the contested cases from its website, Dbrand is moving forward with the legal battle.

In the midst of this controversy, Dbrand is introducing a new set of X-ray skins that are distinct from the Teardown ones. Captured at high resolution, these new skins offer details not visible by removing the back cover of a device. This move coincides with a recent video by JerryRigEverything, suggesting support for legal action against Casetify by purchasing Dbrand’s new X-ray skins.

It’s worth noting that The Verge recently collaborated with Dbrand on a series of skins and cases. Update November 24th, 6:30AM ET: Updated text to note that Casetify has removed the accused cases from its website. Update November 24th, 9:41AM ET: Added statement from Casetify.

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