

OBS means Open Broadcaster Service, and it’s an open-source group that helped make live-streaming possible. Instead, they built their service on open-source software developed and maintained by the OBS Project. Streamlabs’ software isn’t proprietary, though. The company started as a service called Twitch Alerts, but they rebranded to Streamlabs OBS in 2018. Their video streaming service enjoys widespread use amongst content creators on platforms such as Twitch and YouTube. Streamlabs, formerly Streamlabs OBS, is a well-known maker of live streaming software. Here’s a breakdown of the facts behind the controversy and brief analysis of the IP issues involved.

Since Lightstream’s tweet, a deluge of allegations – ranging from further IP infringements to shady business practices – have dogged Streamlabs, forcing the company to respond to some of these claims and even backtrack in respect of others. Hot on the heels of this tweet, the OBS Project fired off allegations of its own, saying that Streamlabs used its name without permission and failed to “live up to the spirit” of open source. In a November 17 tweet, Lightstream called out Streamlabs for copying its website landing page – down to customer reviews – in Streamlabs’ promo materials for its new product. Streamlabs, one of the internet’s most popular live-streaming services, recently came under controversy when it was slated on Twitter for plagiarizing the product and marketing content of its competitor, Lightstream. « back to articles | Download PDF | THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE Meta Description: Streamlabs, one of the internet’s most popular live-streaming tools, recently came under controversy when it was slated on Twitter for plagiarizing the website of its competitor, Lightstream, and using the OBS Project’s name without permission.
