In order for the manufacturer to sell counterfeit products on its platform, Kickstarter was sued

Kickstarter, the crowdfunding platform for concept products, was sued by iPad keyboard manufacturer Brydge, who claimed that it had authorized the sale of Libra products, which the company also made. iPad keyboards with styles similar to those of Brydge.

Indeed, at a glance, people can also recognize Brydge and Libra keyboard for iPad have quite similar design. Both products are designed so that when the keyboard is folded, the iPad Pro will look like a miniature laptop. Even both products use the same U-shaped mount design to hold the iPad - a design that has been patented by Brydge.

In order for the manufacturer to sell counterfeit products on its platform, Kickstarter was sued Picture 1

The two keyboards for this iPad are quite similar, with the only difference being the mouse pad. Brydge's keyboard (left) doesn't have a trackpad and Libra's (right) has a built-in trackpad.

Perhaps the only difference so far is that Libra's keyboard will have a built-in mouse pad and Brydge's keyboard won't. However, Brydge's lawyer said that, in a few weeks, they will embark on the production of keyboards iPad with mouse pad.

What's even more remarkable, however, is the real reason Brydge sued Kickstarter - not really because the platform became the only place to sell Libra products.

Brydge spokesman admitted they sued Kickstarter because they were "not sure" who actually made Libra's keyboards. The Kickstarter campaign was created by a company called Sentis, but there is no information about this company. Sentis doesn't have a website, nor does it appear to exist anywhere other than the Kickstarter campaign and a press release.

A video in a Sentis press release leads to a YouTube account called OGadget - the name of a marketing agency hired by Sentis to advertise Libra's keyboard. After receiving a letter from Brydge, OGadget stopped selling Libra and said Sentis "is no longer a customer of OGadget."

Not finding exactly who Sentis is, Kickstarter became the main target of this lawsuit, when Libra is becoming a hot product on the platform. Since its launch on September 24, the campaign has had 1,700 supporters for more than $ 220,000.

In order for the manufacturer to sell counterfeit products on its platform, Kickstarter was sued Picture 2

Even the chamfer on the edge of the keyboard of both of them is quite similar.

It is worth mentioning that Brydge's original start was also a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign in 2012 when it raised $ 800,000 from 3,000 supporters through the platform. Since then, the company has launched dozens of different products, compatible with most iPad generations, but they are no longer sold through Kickstarter.

A Kickstarter spokesman said the company would remove any patent infringement projects. Although the court is still awaiting a ruling, Libra's capital raising campaign will soon end. It seems that the direct lawsuit Kickstarter makes this happen faster.

Nick Smith, CEO and co-founder of Brydge, said that they aimed for Kickstarter because this is an American company, unlike Libra, with signs that this is a manufacturer in China. .

" In the end, what is Libra? Libra is not a small company ." Smith said. " Basically, Libra is a factory in Shenzhen that copied our product and used Kickstarter to sell it. It's just like that ."

Refer to The Verge