EVGA is in PR hell right now as the developer of RivaTuner, Unwinder, is accusing the company of stealing his code amongst other things. Guru3D is closely following-up on the story as it unfolds, with responses for both sides in this article and we have been paying attention to the matter as it progresses and from the most recent updates, things are still not looking well. Read the original post from Guru3D for more info:
Did EVGA just Steal the Rivatuner RTSS design concept into PrecisionX 15 ?
To summarize:
EVGA has severed ties with the developer of RivaTuner, Unwinder, who is the sole developer of the application which many GPU vendors use as the base for their own tuning software bundled with their graphics cards (e.g. MSI Afterburning, EVGA Precision). EVGA has just launched the PrecisionX 15 which it claims is 100% developed in-house, meaning EVGA handled the development instead of Unwinder.
After revealing pre-release screenshots and ultimately releasing the final build to public, it is without a doubt copying the Rivatuner application. Again, for in-depth details please read the article linked above as this is going to be an opinion piece on the matter. Representatives have spoken on behalf of EVGA with Unwinder firing back but ultimately, Unwinder is not interested in resolving this legally stating:
[blockquote right=”pull-right” cite=”Alexey Nicolaychuk aka Unwinder, RivaTuner creator”]Dear company PRs, take a fair advice and simply stop giving any public comments with fake excuses. I’m not going to start a legal action against the company, I’m not asking for ANY compensation. I just want to let my users know the truth, protect my software, my ideas and technologies and then forget our past partnership. Just keep your lips sealed and let this story die istelf. Do not beat the dead horse. [/blockquote]
Here are the comparative screenshots for your reference:
EVGA reps cite that they have retained the look of the old application because it was designed by EVGA which Unwinder refuted by stating the the only design cues made by EVGA was the skin to which we agree.
Busted
EVGA reps have went on and on refuting the claims from people stating these facts but as Unwinder has stated, he is not interested in dragging this on.
For the Internet, EVGA is now another example of a dirty corporate machine ditching its assets when its all used up or its not good for business anymore. Some have stated that Unwinder can be hard to deal with sometimes and has an attitude problem, which could be one of the reason for EVGA departure from his service. Regardless, it does not give them any right to claim another person’s work. That is clear-cut case of copyright infringement and usage of such software is piracy.
EVGA can respond all they want but as it stands, every piece of evidence is against them. They are in a bad light right now and the software they claim as theirs will forever be marred as the product of corporate bile. This is not including the report from the original article that EVGA has freeloaded on what MSI has paid for for the past 5 years.
I am not here to pass judgement to EVGA nor let this single act represent the entire company, but this recent turn of events is just too disheartening to know and letting it go unnoticed would be a crime unto itself.
