If you use Streamlabs OBS when you go live on Twitch, then don’t be alarmed at the new name that has been rolled out recently. It’s in response to the claims that Streamlabs has been plagiarising elements of other rival streaming software like Lightstream and OBS.
The start of this controversy was sparked by Lightstream, a streaming service that allows users to use their own layouts in their browser, simplifying streaming from their PlayStation or Xbox in linking the console and the PC together. Lightstream pointed out how similar Streamlabs’ new website was to its own website in a Tweet and it’s difficult to deny it.
After the Tweet gained some traction, Elgato jumped into the mix with a meme of a character from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, recalling the announcement of Streamlabs Deck a year after Elgato’s Stream Deck hit the shelves. Then, The OBS Project spoke out about its annoyance that Streamlabs was “uncooperative” when it reached out to the company over the use of the OBS name.
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Streamlabs was soon snowed under with comments from streamers like Brandon Stennis, Dylan Zaner, Hasan Piker, Imane Anys, Anne Munition and even Edward Snowden. Yeah, that Edward Snowden. “We’re often faced with confused users and even companies who do not understand the difference between the two apps,” continued The OBS Project. “Legally they have obeyed the terms of the GPL but they have repeatedly disregarded the spirit of open source and of giving back.”
Responding to Lightstream’s statement, Streamlabs said that it was a “mistake” that the two websites looked so similar. “Text on the landing page was placeholder text that went into production by error. This is our fault. We removed the text as soon as we found out,” it qualified. However, in the replies to this Tweet were a number of users advising each other on how to unsubscribe to the software’s paid premium services which sounds convoluted.
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On November 17th, Streamlabs announced that it would be changing its name immediately and that it “[takes] responsibility for [its] actions and will support the community.” Unfortunately, there appears to be a lot of ill will toward the company at the moment, and we will have to wait and see if this controversy leaves a lasting impact.
Featured Image Credit: TwitchTopics: Twitch
