Comments on: Legal and PR trouble looming for mobile GTX260/280?

By: Smooth Creations: Server laptop - VR-Zone IT & Lifestyle Forum!

Smooth Creations: Server laptop - VR-Zone IT & Lifestyle Forum! — Sun, 10 May 2009 19:55:28 +0000

[…] currently one of world’s most powerful graphics cards?GeForce GTX280M [this really isn’t a GTX280, but rather a blatant lie called "renaming GeForce 9800GTX" – no, we won’t let nVidia off the hook this time. This is a mislabeled product and we will not […]

By: Theo Valich

Theo Valich — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:50:20 +0000

The sources for this story were multiple, coming from both legal and investor base.

It is all a matter of just how big or small you can be before your anti-consumer behavior gets detected.

This is a clear cut case – G92b is being used as GTX200, thus taking a previous generation part and advertising it as current.

9600 and 9500 belong to the same generation of products. If the branding was GTS, there would not be a base for a case, simple renaming and that’s it.

Because 9600 and 9500 and 9800 will become GT and GTS 200 series…

But, 9800 won’t become GTX280M on desktop.

By: Patrick Monti

Patrick Monti — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:12:00 +0000

Theo, I understand that. But the thing is that I don’t understand how this is different than for example Geforce 9600 desktop and the Geforce 9600 Mobile (wich is a 9500 desktop). Nvidia and Ati have always done that, a card with the same name are different in desktop and mobile and no one has ever taken them to court.

By: Class Action Suit Over Nvida’s Rebranding Schemes? | RazeTheWorld

Class Action Suit Over Nvida’s Rebranding Schemes? | RazeTheWorld — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 11:42:35 +0000

[…] and power. Rebranding a GTS card as a GTX card seems more misleading that anything. Tech reporter, Theovalich, called the move, “disastrous.” One has to wonder what branding wizards at Nvidia […]

By: Class Action Suit Over Nvida’s Rebranding Schemes? | RazeTheWorld

Class Action Suit Over Nvida’s Rebranding Schemes? | RazeTheWorld — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 11:42:35 +0000

By: Theo Valich

Theo Valich — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:04:35 +0000

The information for this article came about after I had a conversation with one of lawyers from the DA in Los Angeles, CA. I was contacted to deny/confirm the rumors about GTX280 is a brand for two completely different products.

Bear in mind that Heinz Ketchup lost the court case when the company reduced the content of ketchup bottle by a tea spoon. Even though that was laughable at first, this was a million dollar saving in their yearly operation, profit achieved by deprieving and decieving customers.

http://articles.latimes.com/2000/nov/30/business/fi-59336

Same thing with this naming. Nvidia has one cost of making G92b GPUs, another (substantially higher) for making GT200 abd GT200b chips. If Nvidia is profiting by misleading the consumer, you already have a legal presedan, thus there is a field for a court battle.

By: Andrzej Bania

Andrzej Bania — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:44:09 +0000

I can explain why ‘court cases’ in general.
The US culture is very fond of suing people – and class action suits are popular.
Lawyers are constantly being approached for some of that ‘No win no fee – you keep 100% of the settlement’ loving.
Smart lawyers will look for issues where the ‘cost to defend a case’ is likely to be over (say) $500,000.
They then sign up as many people as they can find with that specific complaint and head for a class action.
The company being sued will issue a standard statement saying “Nothing has happened, we have done nothing wrong and we will defend ourselves and our reputation vigorously”.
In the background, they make the same calculation.
If the lawyer has guessed correctly and the amount being asked for is as much as (or more than) the amoung being requested – then they will pull out NDAs and settle.
In more than half of these situations, the claim is ‘bollocks’ – but it is a kind of gambling skill to know when to fight, when to run and when to settle.

By: Patrick Monti

Patrick Monti — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:11:13 +0000

The thing is that this is nothing new ATI and NVIDIA have been using different chips for mobile and desktop chips. I don’t know why you would have a court case now and not then. Care to explain the difference? (no offence, just trying to understand)

By: Peter

Peter — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:07:48 +0000

Honestly, i think that they are purposely misleading the public because they are aware that the GTX 200 series has a very good name for itself when it comes to single GPU performance. And when you take a name for a product that already exists and is double the performance and then rename the mobile part for that weaker chip to the faster one you’re literally making someone think they are paying for something that is twice as fast. Its wrong on many levels.

By: Andrzej Bania

Andrzej Bania — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 07:47:00 +0000

It is not clear from your copy if you think that nVidia appears to have commited an act of gross stupidity or plain fraud – could you clarify please ?

i.e. Do you genuinely think its aim is to mislead the public, or do you think that the naming was a by-product of simply wanting the same number of everything being sold?