A new patent mess, but in this case between two smaller hardware industry contenders: Lian Li and Phanteks. From the looks of it, Lian Li Industries has filed a demand against Phanteks Europe alleging that the fan series Phanteks D30 RGB It infringes a design patented by the former, and the most curious thing is that Phanteks has not taken 24 hours to give an official response.
It is true that, according to the source, Lian Li’s lawsuit was sent to the US patent office in May, and it seems that Phanteks completely ignored the notification because it continued to sell the aforementioned fans. According to Lian Li, Phanteks has copied the daisy chain method of its fans, something that if you look closely, many hardware manufacturers are doing lately (not copying the design, but launching daisy chain fans).
The world upside down: the European copied the Asian
From HardZone, we have not been able to test first-hand either Phanteks’ D30 RGB fans or Lian Li’s P28 fans, which are the ones they say they have copied. However, the truth is that you only have to look at the specification pages of both products to realize that, at the very least, there is some “inspiration” between one and the other.
As you can see, we are in a case that seems like the world is upside down, because the Chinese are famous for being experts in copying and adapting the designs of others. In this case, it is the Asian company (specifically in Taiwan) that has sued the European company (Holland), requesting compensation for damages. Additionally, Phanteks would have to pay a license fee if it decides to keep these fans on the market.
As we mentioned before, in recent times we have seen many manufacturers of PC cooling products that have launched daisy chain fans, such as Corsair or Thermaltake for example (iCUE Link and SWAFAN EX respectively), but each with their own method. interconnection; Now, in the case of Corsair they have used a proprietary and patented connector, but this is not the case in the case of Thermaltake and in fact Lian Li has also denounced them.
Phanteks has already responded
As we said at the beginning, the Dutch company did not take long to give an official response answering Lian Li’s lawsuit. This is our own translation of the statement:
«At Phanteks we can confirm the filing of the patent infringement lawsuit filed by a fellow brand in the PC industry. […]
From the beginning of the development of the D30 RGB fans, we set out to design an original product that innovates to offer new solutions to PC enthusiasts. We have consulted with patent attorneys during the development and prior to the official announcement of these fans, and have determined that they do not infringe the patent claims. The Phanteks D30 fans are an original idea and to date have been patented in several countries.
We value and respect valid and enforceable intellectual property rights, and we are confident that the outcome of this legal matter will confirm that there is no infringement. “We will continue our mission to serve the PC community by creating unique and innovative solutions.”
As you may have already noticed, Phanteks claims that they have not infringed any patent, and that they will wait for justice to solve the problem in their favor. In the meantime, the company continues to sell its D30 fans and does not appear to plan to stop doing so.
It will be interesting to see how things turn out in the end, especially given the fact that as we mentioned above, Lian Li has also sued Thermaltake for the same thing.