Malwarebytes claim: IObit is stealing signature databases

We have found more than one company potentially stealing our definitions and some of our technology - you don't hear about it because we are handling it in a legal nature, and once the situation is adjudicated in a court of law, or settled legally we would announce it, but not before - and we won't name the companies involved.

I hope that clears that up for you as to how I and my company would handle the situation! I wouldn't risk a giant defamation and slander case by announcing something like that all over the web.

 

I agree with Nick compleatly

 

Risk implies uncertainty , we have none .

And for the record , we would not risk that either .

 

Have you tested if your sigs were stolen as well? In regard to the IOBit case, I mean.

 

Of course, we just are not splattering the results all over the web.

 

Nick,

Are you using defamation of the innocent inorder to protect defamation against the guilty ?

 

Defamation of the innocent? I am defaming no one.

 

@nosirrah

I do not know how these things are handdled in US but in most European countries, the correct procedure would be to:

1st. Contact the offender person/company and try to resolve the problem.
2nd. If no agreement is reached, to follow legal procedures...
3rd. After the above take place (at least the 1st one), make the subject public dominion.

To my understanding you followed the exact opposite path...

Panagiotis

 

Just so this thread doesn't spiral into a flame war, I want to make sure everyone here understands that I have nothing againt MalwareBytes, or any other company.

I am looking at this situation from a "global problem" situation - meaning that if someone accused SUPERAntiSpyware of doing the same thing, it would likely destroy our reputation - or any company that was accused of such behavior. These types of public "witch hunts" can be spur on others to make claims that may not be legit just to receive the press and attention.

I would not want IOBit, nor any company, to be on the receiving end of such claims - especially when the industry is highly competitive, until such claims were proven beyond a doubt by more than just the accusing company.

 

Haha, try to handle such thing in legal nature against a Chinese company which operates from China. You gotta be kidding.

 

If MBAM accused SAS of the same thing with the same evidence and SAS reacted the same way IOBIT has, then yes your reputation would go down big time.

If you can't stand up and fight off accusations that a rival company is making against you in the public arena then you got problems anyway IMO. Unfortunately politics plays a big role in this world. You have to be on your toes all the time and not get greedy.

 

I think it depends on the evidence. If MBAM's case is as strong as they seem to believe themselves then a public accusation is acceptable....

 

Maybe they 're rich enough to afford it, no matter what the costs and the probable compensation by chinese law.

Symantec for example could afford it probably...

 

So what is your point in critcizing MBAM's handling of this situation? To make yourself look better? Couldn't you have shared your opinions on MBAM's handling of this in private with those folks? Why do you "splatter" your criticism of MBAM all over the web? I know the answer... because you can't miss what you feel is an opportunity to make a competitor look bad and yourself look good. Big ol thumbs down to SUPERAntiSpy for being a hypocrite... for not practicing what he preaches.

 

If I am in your place i would not have commented in a competitor,s product thread. From where you got the idea that they are going to claim against SAS, AVG, CS etc?

Comments like this are not going to give SAS any good points indeed. My sincere opinion.

 

In this situition, if IOBit or any other company can bring an evidence as solid as that of MBAM, belive me they are going to dominate the market.

 

@Nick: Maybe MB isn't bathing in money. Maybe they can't afford a lawsuit. Maybe the odds of winning a lawsuit in China wouldn't be too high.

If I am correct, they are located in the US. So they have lawyers who are familiar with US law.

But wouldn't it cost some to get Chinese lawyers?

And I heard a lot of Chinese companies do things that would be illegal in the US and get away with it.


In addition, I think the community has a right to know if some company is stealing. They want to get protection, and who would want stolen protection?

~LaserWraith

 

Agree totally. Well said!!

 

IObit's main site maybe located in China but they do have servers in the USA.

When I run an update for Security 360 it connects to 174.37.22.173.

http://whois.domaintools.com/174.37.22.173

Also when I download their products, it connects to the same address located in Dallas, TX.

That is why I always thought they were a USA company.

Thanks.

 

SAS and MBAM are both popular antispyware programs.
To SUPERAntiSpy: Are you sure you're completely objective here ?

Court of law ? The WHOIS info of MBAM points to the USA.
Attempting to solve this in a Chinese court is probably not realistic. They can try, but can they win ? Even if they could win such a case and Chinese laws would inflict significant damage to IObit, it would be a very expensive and time-consuming battle. Should MBAM just have to put up with IObit's actions for two years, with IObit continuing to use MBAM's database ? And China isn't exactly well known for respect of copyright.

Maybe MBAM will take legal action, but I see no point in not presenting the evidence to the public. MBAM succeeded in shaming IObit and stopping IObit from continuing to abuse MBAM's database.

MBAM isn't wealthy like Symantec or Kaspersky, nor do they have similar political clout.

You stated: 'The right way to have handled this was silently until actual facts are proven in a court of law and/or by outside parties. This has turned into a huge publicity stunt - MalwareBytes has destroyed a competitors reputation.' Who are you to say how MBAM should have handled this issue ?

You also stated: 'Many sites that MalwareBytes forced IOBit off of SELL MBAM without disclosing that fact - now they are forced to remove IOBit - I wonder if forcing out a higher rated product helped MBAM's sales? Of course it does' IObit was hurting MBAM's sales and market share by stealing their database. What's wrong with stopping that ?

The evidence MBAM presented was conclusive. Not just my opinion, many websites removed the IObit software, and IObit has removed the database of MBAM from its products. Thus (implicitly) admitting guilt.

 

Typical comment from you Page42.

The point is that NO COMPANY should do this type of smear campaign against another based on ONLY INTERNAL EVIDENCE - it sets a precidence of ways to behave - the Internet is messed up enough - sites are stating this as fact when there is no external evidence - and NONE of other companies being "ripped off" have come forward to join in - that's very odd.

I am not saying "MalwareBytes is bad", or that it's ok if they were ripped off, it's NOT - my point is that if IOBit is in the clear and MalwareBytes made a "mistake" then they have ruined IOBit's company and reputation - as an owner of a company I certainly would not want such accusations being splattered all over the web without a fair shot in court or other legal venue.

 

I am speaking objectively as a businessman - I am not saying ANYTHING about the MalwareBytes product - I am speaking to the fact of the way this was smeared around the web, all based upon an accusation and what that can do to a companies reputation.

IOBit's case doesn't look "strong" by them removing the product on a temporary (or more) basis.

 

Not necessarily, look at how Iobit has responded to this. Don't you think that if MBAM was accusing SAS of the same and was making a mistake that SAS would have done a better job of defending itself against the accusations? The accusations alone are not ruining Iobits' reputation. The way they have handled their response or lack of it has a lot to do with how this is playing out also.

 

Smear campaign, I do not understand; who is smearing whom? MBAM smearing Iobit? Internal evidence only? My God where are you coming from ? Read the previous post on this thread and MBAM forum and behold. What's your point here are your so-call internal evidences wrong? Is Iobit innocent?

More importantly, whose side are you on? Be a man or a woman please state your real intention.