Dbrand declares its PS5 Darkplates 'are dead’ after Sony threatens legal action

Earlier this year, Canadian company dbrand started selling matte black faceplates for Sony’s PS5 console, calling them ‘Darkplates’. Now, dbrand has announced it’s pulling Darkplates from sale after receiving a cease and desist letter from Sony Interactive Entertainment.

[Magog]

I think if they made their plates a different shape and used a different connector they could have gotten away with it but besides the pattern they are identical. That's definitely patent infringement.

[darthv72]

The ps4 bay covers were also being made by 3rd parties and there wasnt much controversy there. But then sony went and changed the whole design to the slim.

Im glad i got my dark plates when I did. They are great quality. There are Chinese knockoffs on amazon and aliexpress so sony got their work cut out to stop them all.

[Magog]

Maybe they just didn't like Dbrand's attitude. They wanted to get sued and Sony obliged.

[gravedigger]

Quote :

"The ps4 bay covers were also being made by 3rd parties and there wasnt much controversy there. But then sony went and changed the whole design to the slim."

They were not made by 3rd partyes at all. They made stickers, not the plates for PS4. Sony made plates for PS4

[gravedigger]

Quote :

"The PS logo is trademarked but not sure about plastic plates. Which is why all 3rd party plates are lacking the PS logo. So they dont violate copyright and trademark property."

Plates are trademarked and patented

https://patft.uspto.gov/net...

[darthv72]

^^sony made some themed ones (I have several myself) but when it came to different colors, those were pretty much all 3rd party. You can find tons of them on ebay. They lack the PS logo as only sony ones carry that. Just like on these ps5 3rd party plates. No logo, no problem.

They can be compatible but also just different enough to not be in violation. Its why we have so many unofficial controllers and other accessories for these platforms. Variety and options. Its best to stick to official but when official isnt available....

[S2Killinit]

Im sure you agree Sony has a right to be able to license the right to make plates?

[gravedigger]

Quote :

"^^sony made some themed ones (I have several myself) but when it came to different colors, those were pretty much all 3rd party. You can find tons of them on ebay. They lack the PS logo as only sony ones carry that. Just like on these ps5 3rd party plates. No logo, no problem.

They can be compatible but also just different enough to not be in violation. Its why we have so many unofficial controllers and other accessories for these platforms. Variety and options. Its best to stick to official but when official isnt available...."

Dbrands doesn't have logos too, but plates are patented. Same as PS4 ones. Surely 3rd party ones payed a royalties, even just for plates without logo

[Neonridr]

@gravedigger - I gotta figure they could have changed the shape slightly, maybe removed the whole curved part and gotten away with it.

[outsider1624]

Didn't these guys challenge Sony to Sue them? What happened now?

[Realms]

Sony didn't seem to care all that much until dbrand opened their mouths, as you mentioned they are going after every manufacture that is selling knockoffs. Moral of the story don't poke the bear, they should have kept their mouths closed and off of Sony's radar. FYI all these corporations are like this when it comes to protecting their property and they often pick and choose who they go after.

[MrBeatdown]

I don't understand how nobody has come out with different designs. I don't need a different color. I want something that gives my PS5 a flat bottom or something. Vertical stands are everywhere, but nobody has come up with a decent horizontal option or plates that change the shape.

[Magog]

The bottom is flat as it is meant to stand vertically.

[EmperorDalek]

Well they did dare them to sue. Either way, Sony should just make official ones if they have a problem with it.

[Magog]

Sony will make official ones when they release their first limited edition console tied to a game. It will make those easier since all they will have to do is swap the plates for ones branded with the pack-in game. Forbidden West, GT7, GoW Ragnarok will probably all get one.

[Seraphim]

while Sony will make them for special edition consoles I don't see them selling them. Especially not anything tied to special edition consoles. At best we might see a company or companies obtain a license to make them. If Sony does make them expect to pay out the ass.

what I find funny is how quickly dbrand backed down. They threaten Sony to sue when announcing the product, release the product, make $$ for X months then fold once hit with a notice. They knew what they were doing was illegal yet did it anyway. Now that they've made their bank they're out the game. Two plastic shells can not cost more than a few dollars to manufacturer.

I'm sure I'm in the minority here but the last thing we need is more useless plastic being produced. I get it, not everyone likes the white PS5 but the color of your console is such a trivial matter. At least they're not all pink, purple, acid green or.....

[jznrpg]

@Seraphim they may sell them . They sold special plates for PS4 . I still have my Bloodborne PS4 plate unopened in a box . That was the only one I really wanted but they made others as well .

[1nsomniac]

No doubt Sony will make them…. They will charge twice the price though when they do.

[InUrFoxHole]

Then re-release the the same plates 6 months later, but with brighter and sharper shades. $70 for the suckers

[GoodGuy09]

Itll just be limited special editions. Sony never really offers custom plates/skins, its always been 3rd party. I just dunno why sonys much more defensive this time.

[rlow1]

To bad, I know people were looking forward to these. Now if Sony doesn't launch plate upgrades down the road, then they should've licensed these guys. Having a console with removable plates just screams to be personalized.

[RaidenBlack]

How it started : " Go ahead, sue us. "
How it’s going : " We've elected to submit to the terrorists' demands … for now. "

[Tacoboto]

Terrorists... they really hammer it in there that Sony are terrorists.

How can people even support this brand when they feel so... vitriolically entitled to designs that are not and will never be theirs? Sony not making their own faceplates and Ford bumper replacements somehow give them that right?

[ShadowWolf712]

Dbrand kinda made their whole name on being deliberate a-holes, including to their own customers. Some people find that appealing for... some reason.

They even once ordered an elaborate custom PC from a company, frequently changed their minds on parts, and design decisions to make it harder on them, all just cuz. It's what they do.

[Storm23]

Sony has to be bringing out their own custom plates soon right? I think they would sell well, especially ones linked to high profile games coming out.

[darthv72]

Hopefully. Would be sweet to have some official spider-man ones.

[Storm23]

Definitely. I would also really consider a GoW one as well.

[InUrFoxHole]

Not gonna front. I would spring for some GOW plates lol

[jznrpg]

I want Demons Souls plates !! I would buy 2 , one for my console and one to keep in a box .

[Shuckylad]

Petty

[dbcoops]

Business.

[Juvia]

Business.

[Shuckylad]

I get that but is Sony offering us an alternative. I know people who won’t buy a ps5 yet because the white plates don’t go well on the entertainment unit.
If you buy a ford and then to spray it a different colour ford don’t offer, is ford going to challenge the car sprayers. It just seems a little needless.

[Nacho_Z]

You're right, there's absolutely no need for companies to protect their trademarks and copyrights. They're just a bunch of petty big sillies.

[SavageFlamingo]

Petty is knowingly infringing on their property and challenging them to sue. Dbrands’ marketing strategy is to make themselves appear like prepubescent edgy teenagers.

[dbcoops]

Your analogy makes no sense at all. Painting a car and selling unlicensed game console parts are two entirely different things. But I tell you what I'll play into your way off analogy though just for the heck of it. You want to paint your car then paint it, you want to paint your PS5 guess what you can do that too. If someone is holding off on buying a gaming console because its color doesn't go well with their entertainment unit then that's their problem and its an extremely ridiculous reason which is why I imagine the number of people doing that is very low. Is no one buying Series X because their entertainment center happens to be white? The only option there is black and always will be. Whats needles is people grabbing their torches and pitchforks anytime Sony protects their IP.

[justadelusion]

Just pick up some for like $30 off amazon, its silly that sony hasnt came out with them yet, pretty much no one likes the white plates and i 100% believe they only did this to make $50 off people down the road by selling other colors.

[KUV1977]

I like the white plates.

[MetroidFREAK21]

Now they just need official ones

[Teflon02]

This this maybe means they'll finally drop other colours? Only reason I skipped those is because it needs the logo still

[S2Killinit]

Didnt they challenge Sony to sue them?

[BioShockGX]

Wish granted.

[SullysCigar]

Lmao I'd forgotten about that! Classic.

[againx4]

i can still get them in my country, no issue

[lodossrage]

I still don't understand why they literally and in public dared Sony to sue them in the first place. Well, they got what they dared them to do..

Dbrand Kind of feels like Epic games to a lesser extent. Daring a company to take action, then complain when they do exactly that.

[Magog]

But without the money to back up their words 😂

[Father__Merrin]

This means Sony will be releasing custom. Plates very shortly otherwise they would never have bothered.

[darthv72]

Hopefully. Id collect the different themed sets like I did ps4 bay covers and 360 faceplates.

[got_dam]

Hot take here, but I think the ps5 is hideous. Looks like a DVD player stuffed in a trapperkeeper.

[Sayai jin]

I wisI am glad I was able to get some PS5s, but I wish they launched the PS5 in black as well.

[dbcoops]

Well I guess when you pretty much dare them to sue you.

[Orchard]

So where are our official ones to purchase? The white ones are ugly and I doubt they made the removable sides just for the SSD enclosure.

[nickanasty206]

This just seems so stupid to me. One of the coolest parts about the design Sony chose for PS5 was the potential to customize your console. I don't have a dog in this fight because i painted my own plates, but still why ruin the possibilities of customization, which is the PS5 designs strong suit. Dumb as hell.

[ORestodoMundoPT]

Well i’m happy I got mine here at home already atleast! 😊

[ALMGNOON]

I legit can't understand why Sony are not making and selling colored plates, they will make so much easy money just from that.

[marioJP87]

I truly see this no different than putting a case on my phone.
Why wouldn’t Sony let us customize our PS5?
If they’re not gonna offer customized plates, let someone else do it.
I’ve had my PS5 for a week now and truly would love to customize it.

[ILostMyMind]

You can "customize" your PS5 as you please.

[HansyJ]

You can buy plenty of fakes on Amazon right now so I don’t know why this particular company gets the letter LOL

[ILostMyMind]

Because they asked for.

[ILostMyMind]

"sue us, if you dare." 🤣

[KillBill]

Simply need to have a business centered out of some place like Taiwan or India where international copyright really doesn't exist. China even cares little about most things like this though you wouldn't want to do business in China.

[paulust2002]

It's almost like they new this would happen and that it would bring a lot more attention to their brand,..

[InUrFoxHole]

Thank you sony. I didn't want more options anyway.

[airshiraz]

vaccine kills

[Snakeeater25]

Good at that price they deserve it

[NobleRed]

Just order faceplates from AliExpress.
Dbrand is not worth the money.

[Aussiesummer]

Douchebrand. Suck shit.