Retail-bound PS3s seized by customs as they enter Britain – LG dispute is getting serious

A court ruling at the Hague has placed a preliminary injunction on Sony selling PS3s in Europe after a dispute arose over alleged patent breaches in the Blu-Ray technology used by Sony in PS3s, as well as more breaches in its line of Bravia TVs. Consoles have already been seized in Holland and are being held in warehouses for the time being. Shops usually have a couple of weeks' worth of stock in hand, but if the ban continues, shop shelves could become empty. Crikey.

Above: Alright, the shipments were probably PS3 Slims, but I guarantee big red rubber stamps were used

Sony can appeal to the European Patent Office to get the ban lifted, but LG can similarly apply to it to get the ban extended. Should LG be successful in its legal battle, Sony would have to pay LG some money for every PS3 it's sold, which in Britain alone is 4million units(they just had a party to celebrate it) so thatcould equate to millions of pounds.

Sony was originally attempting to get some LG smartphones banned in the US... and is probably wishing it hadn't bothered now. Of course, in 10 days' time, everything could be back to normal and Sony says it is 'looking into the matter'. In other words, it's aligning the sights of its biggest legal guns on the middle of LG's forehead.

We'll let you know what happens there.

01 Mar, 2011

Source:The Guardian