When Thermaltake announced one of its latest cases, the Suppressor F51, we noted that it bore more than a passing resemblance to Fractal Design's Define R5. The Suppressor might not be the only page that Thermaltake has lifted from other companies' design departments, though. Kevin Keating, a vice-president at boutique case manufacturer CaseLabs, accused Thermaltake of flat-out copying CaseLabs designs with its TT Premium W Series cases in this Facebook post, and he posted side-by-side pictures of CaseLabs cases and the TT Premium W Series enclosures to prove his point:
It's pretty damning stuff, and angry enthusiasts are swamping Thermaltake's Facebook page in response. Nathan Kirsch at LegitReviews has also compiled a list of products with Thermaltake doppelgangers, and we have to admit that the resemblances to competitors' products don't stop with the Suppressor F51 or the W Series cases, either.
Admittedly, there's only so much one can do to differentiate one PC case from another, but we'd certainly prefer that companies start with a clean sheet of paper and innovate from there, rather than with a photocopier. We'll keep an eye on this story for any further developments.