Dbrand and JRE Take Legal Action Against Casetify for Skin Design Copycatting

Dbrand is taking Casetify to court over the copying of their “Teardown” designs, which involve carefully disassembling devices, scanning their internals, and editing the images before printing them. Dbrand claims that Casetify not only stole its designs but also tried to cover it up by rearranging parts slightly.

The lawsuit alleges that Casetify copied 117 different designs, with Dbrand claiming registered copyrights for each product before Casetify’s launch. Dbrand unveiled the Teardown line in 2019, teaming up with Zack Nelson from the JerryRigEverything YouTube channel. The company says a ton of effort goes into making its skins, involving a meticulous process of dismantling devices, scanning their interiors, and carefully editing the images to achieve a polished look.

According to Dbrand, Casetify took a shortcut by using slightly modified versions of its scans for the latter’s “Inside Parts” line of phone cases. This raised suspicions among users who noticed the same internal design being used for different phone models from Apple, Samsung, and Google. Casetify even launched a new line called “Inside Out” after prompting from users.

However, Dbrand claims that Casetify swiped the images for its new line straight from Dbrand’s designs. The accusations have resulted in Casetify’s website going offline, and it has pulled the plug on some product listings in certain countries. Casetify did not immediately respond to Android Central’s request for comment.

The dispute between the two companies highlights the importance of originality and protecting creative works. It serves as a reminder to businesses to respect the intellectual property rights of others and to seek legal protection for their own creative endeavors. As the case unfolds in court, it will be interesting to see how the issue of design plagiarism is addressed and resolved.