Phanteks responds to a patent infringement suit filed by Lian Li regarding the Phanteks D30 fan's connector design, a design used on the Lian Li UNI FAN series. Phanteks released a statement regarding this matter which you can read below.
Hello Everyone,
In response to articles circulating the community:
We at Phanteks can confirm the filing of the patent infringement suit filed by a fellow PC enthusiast brand. We want to inform the community that our legal team is and has always properly handled any legal issue or communication that has arose.
From the start of the Phanteks D30 fan development, we set out to design an original product that innovates to provide new solutions to PC enthusiasts. We have consulted with patent lawyers during the development and prior to the announcement of the D30 fans and the fans were not found to infringe on the claims in the patent. Phanteks D30 fans are an original idea and have been issued patents in multiple countries to date.
We value and respect valid and enforceable IP rights and are confident that the result of this legal matter will confirm there is no infringement. We will continue our mission to serve the PC community by creating unique and innovative solutions.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Phanteks
Phanteks also posted on their Bilibili channel regarding the issue saying: "the Phanteks D30 pogo pin connection method, which can be traced back to 7 years ago, has been used in the Evolv X chassis"*.
*Google Translate
Phanteks Evolv X front panel pogo pin connector design
Phanteks D30 connector design
There has been an increase of products using a cable-free design for interconnecting fans popularly known as the "Daisy-Chain" design. Aside from the Lian Li UNI FANs and Phanteks D30, there are also the Thermaltake SWAFANs and CORSAIR QX Series fans. CORSAIR already claimed that their design is not a Daisy-Chain connection but rather something else. Nevertheless, this cable-free design truly is convenient for users and builders. The trend appears to be moving forward with this "idea" and we expect more interpretation of this design from more brands in the near future - but likely not similar to the Lian Li Daisy-Chain design.
View the Lian Li vs Phanteks case file here. Apparently, Lian Li is also going after Thermaltake Technology with the same patent infringement, view case details here.
