Tuesday, February 13th 2018

Imitation is The Sincerest Form of Flattery... That Colorful Can Show EVGA?

As I was scouring the Internet and usual places for news stories to share on our beloved TechPowerUp!, I came across an unsuspecting link that triggered my "Oh no, they didn't" sensors. The story title, as posted on Reddit: "Chinese brand Colorful's "about" page is literally copied and pasted from EVGA's." I was torn, right there and then, by the "Oh no they didn't" reaction and a slight pinprick towards the "Of course they did" catharsis. And then I went to the "About" sites for both companies. I read, re-read, and re-re-read each company's "About Us" statement. The result was a warm, fuzzy feeling of incredulity and laughter.

Not only did Colorful copy and paste EVGA's About page, they... Introduced some grammatical and spelling errors as well. I believe I know how this might have happened: an intern at Colorful, tasked with thinking up a glorious, customer-centric "About Us" page, got tired of his company's policy of not allowing workers to play PUBG on the company computers and graphics cards (remember, Colorful dominates this PUBG market). As a way to get back at Colorful, he devised a devious way of getting revenge: subjecting Colorful to the Internet's scrutiny. His tools: copy, paste, and some strategically placed deletes and extra letters to add insult to injury. If I were a Colorful customer, I'd start claiming my "24/7 tech service, 90 day Step-Up program". Just don't go over to the headquarters mentioned in Colorful's "About Us" page. The EVGA employees you encounter there might not find your move very amusing. We, however, do. Oh yes we do.
Sources: Reddit user @dweller_12, Colorful About Page, EVGA About Page, Goodreads
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27 Comments on Imitation is The Sincerest Form of Flattery... That Colorful Can Show EVGA?

#1
TheLostSwede
News Editor
Nah, no intern did this, it's how Chinese companies operate. It's quicker to do a copy paste than to do your own thing, especially when you don't want to waste any time on it.
Besides, no-one really reads these pages, so why waste time and effort on it when you can plagiarise?
Posted on Reply
#2
Dux
Chinese companies copy everything. If it's on the market, someone in China made a copy of it.
Posted on Reply
#3
ZoneDymo
DuxCroChinese companies copy everything. If it's on the market, someone in China made a copy of it.
If its on the market, someone in china made it, and then someone else in china copied it.
I find this just hilarious tbh, kudos of Colorful, even copied the same locations at the end XD
Posted on Reply
#4
rtwjunkie
PC Gaming Enthusiast
Wow, this is a far cry from the Chinese who invented and innovated stuff, like gunpowder, printing, paper money, umbrellas, the compass, and toilet paper.
Posted on Reply
#5
R0H1T
ZoneDymoIf its on the market, someone in china made it, and then someone else in china copied it.
I find this just hilarious tbh, kudos of Colorful, even copied the same locations at the end XD
Well who's bright idea was it ~ to move all their manufacturing to China?
Posted on Reply
#6
qubit
Overclocked quantum bit
Well, there's some Chinese Android smartphone coming out that looks the spitting image of the iPhone X, so I'm not surprised. Copying in EVGA's headquarters is funny though. I wonder if EVGA are gonna DMCA them into taking it down.
Posted on Reply
#7
R0H1T
qubitWell, there's some Chinese Android smartphone coming out that looks the spitting image of the iPhone X, so I'm not surprised. Copying in EVGA's headquarters is funny though. I wonder if EVGA are gonna DMCA them into taking it down.
DMCA the colorful site?
Posted on Reply
#8
qubit
Overclocked quantum bit
R0H1TDMCA the colorful site?
Yes.
Posted on Reply
#9
Flanker
I have some messed up experiences from dealing with Chinese companies, but this is gold LOL. Especially for companies like Colorful that is on their way to establishing themselves as a quality local brand.
Typically the people assigned with the job of writing these website contents never had sufficient training for English. Reliable information on company websites doesn't appear to be have high priority in Chinese businesses.
Posted on Reply
#10
R0H1T
FlankerReliable information on company websites products doesn't appear to be have high priority in Chinese businesses.
Fixed.
Posted on Reply
#11
R-T-B
rtwjunkieWow, this is a far cry from the Chinese who invented and innovated stuff, like gunpowder, printing, paper money, umbrellas, the compass, and toilet paper.
This. Too many people assume China can't innovate, but that isn't the case at all. The present environment just does not really reward it.
Posted on Reply
#12
ion02
Umm ... Copy from Kamen Rider Agito logo ?
Posted on Reply
#13
R0H1T
R-T-BThis. Too many people assume China can't innovate, but that isn't the case at all. The present environment just does not really reward it.
Sorry but who's stopping them from innovating? It just seems that they like to copy, a lot, & sometimes brag about it. Not to forget a highly protectionist central govt.
Posted on Reply
#14
Gasaraki
R0H1TWell who's bright idea was it ~ to move all their manufacturing to China?
Western companies don't care about tech and ideas being stolen. All they care about is money.

Look at all the western companies that sell themselves to Chinese companies for money.
Posted on Reply
#15
Flanker
R0H1TWell who's bright idea was it ~ to move all their manufacturing to China?
Not a bad idea from a cost-saving perspective.
R0H1TFixed.
TBH I have found some solid products from Chinese businesses. A lot of peripheral products aren't bad, but for something like motherboard or graphics card, I would wait for my next build before considering them LOL.
GasarakiWestern companies don't care about tech and ideas being stolen. All they care about is money.

Look at all the western companies that sell themselves to Chinese companies for money.
Depends on what those "tech and ideas" are worth... The best money making ideas are not that easy to steal and reproduce to start with. Otherwise there would be tons of counterfeit x86 processors already.
Posted on Reply
#16
R0H1T
FlankerDepends on what those "tech and ideas" are worth... The best money making ideas are not that easy to steal and reproduce to start with. Otherwise there would be tons of counterfeit x86 processors already.
The likes of GE, Siemens, Bosch, Sony would like a word with you. The entire problem with x86 is patents, something like a Maglev is much more expensive & much profitable if you build the entire infrastructure, using stolen tech. What they can't sell in chips, they sell toms of in other areas.
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#17
First Strike
I would only like to say "typical". In China, most companies, except some IT tech giants which truly deal with internet, consider website development a nuisance and a tedious task. After their near-non-existent IT department finished it, their boss, whose English vocabulary is within a hand's count, briefly made a few clicks, and said "Gee, this is good enough. Get it online".

This is why they produce an unusual rate of garbage-like websites/ads/etc.
Posted on Reply
#18
bug
rtwjunkieWow, this is a far cry from the Chinese who invented and innovated stuff, like gunpowder, printing, paper money, umbrellas, the compass, and toilet paper.
Knowing what we know today, history may have simply neglected to record who the Chinese copied gunpowder, printing, paper money, the compass and toilet paper from :D
Posted on Reply
#19
First Strike
R0H1TSorry but who's stopping them from innovating? It just seems that they like to copy, a lot, & sometimes brag about it. Not to forget a highly protectionist central govt.
Guess what, the same government, persecuted and killed "intellectuals" merely 40 years ago.

Back then, there was a slogan from chairman Mao, "The more knowledge one has, the more anti-revolutionist he is". Intellectuals were classified as "shitty ninth-rate scums" (plain translation). There were nine class of people communist China purged, and intellectuals were the lowest ninth.

And 40 years later, the children back then is in power now.
Posted on Reply
#20
Flanker
R0H1TThe likes of GE, Siemens, Bosch, Sony would like a word with you. The entire problem with x86 is patents, something like a Maglev is much more expensive & much profitable if you build the entire infrastructure, using stolen tech. What they can't sell in chips, they sell toms of in other areas.
Why would patents matter within China? Their economy is large enough that most business can make more money that can dream of without ever thinking about export.
I don't understand why you mention maglev, they are considered a huge waste of taxpayer's money within China.

GE, Siemens, and the likes are competent enough to keep their core technology as trade secrets, otherwise things would have become very ugly already. If you want some examples of ugly, just look at those Taiwanese display panel manufacturers.
Posted on Reply
#21
R-T-B
R0H1TSorry but who's stopping them from innovating?
No one is stopping them but the current government does not really reward it (outside a few state projects) either.

If there is no benefit to innovation, humans will take the path of least resistance.
Posted on Reply
#22
R0H1T
FlankerWhy would patents matter within China? Their economy is large enough that most business can make more money that can dream of without ever thinking about export.
I don't understand why you mention maglev, they are considered a huge waste of taxpayer's money within China.

GE, Siemens, and the likes are competent enough to keep their core technology as trade secrets, otherwise things would have become very ugly already. If you want some examples of ugly, just look at those Taiwanese display panel manufacturers.
Because they're signatory to the WTO? Besides we're talking about x86 & their biggest market, servers/HPC/cloud et al, is outside the mainland. By selling blatant ripoffs they'd risk the current x86 ecosystem to shift their (other) products from being being manufactured or packaged in China. They also can't sell copycat x86 chips outside in part due to the patents, but largely - as you rightly said, they can't copy it - but hey they've got Zhoaxin now so there's a start.

Zhaoxin's home-grown x86 CPU is completely designed from the ground up within China. The Central Processing Unit not only offers reliability and great performance, but hardware security features for the highest level of data protection. The x86 CPU supports a wide variety of Windows Operating System

Maglevs are a huge export opportunity, China has also bagged high speed rail contracts in many places around Asia probably on the back of stolen tech. It might not be Maglev everywhere else, but Maglev itself is quite a huge leap in tech.
Posted on Reply
#23
TheoneandonlyMrK
GasarakiWestern companies don't care about tech and ideas being stolen. All they care about is money.

Look at all the western companies that sell themselves to Chinese companies for money.
clearly the truest statement here imho ,so many companies get there product shipped from china for them to label its not surprising to me that a country that holds no external patent right as legit would be fine with its people making money however they can.

but on topic :) This is a fine example of why my gut feeling is probably right a lot of the time ie colourful came on the scene a few years ago my head said colourful ,,,,wtf kinda just trying to shine to a western market all wrong kinda name is that , now i know ,middle management ruleing the waves as ever in a, just do it style with many a bent over lacky just polishing his arse cheeks , that's the only excuse besides comedy employee revenge i can see being a reality.
Posted on Reply
#25
kn00tcn
why is this particular 'news' post written like a trashy gossip blog?

in case someone out there somehow still has any interest in real journalism:

1) it appears that archive.org has a copy from feb11 web.archive.org/web/20180211074745/https://en.colorful.cn/channels/56.html while the current page has actual text about igame... i am unclear on how old the page is supposed to be, maybe it recently launched & that's why it was noticed?

2) contextually the copied text doesnt even make sense as it was on the igame page, almost as if it was a placeholder for someone that doesnt know about 'lorem ipsum', there is already an about colorful page which has their company history (correct on archive)

so then, placeholder? prank? disgruntled? it's not like management should wake up to that news, colorful was not making 'sorny polystations', they have been legitimately making rgb fueld gamer stuff for china
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