Remember the almost playground-esque patent scuffle between LG and Sony early last month? Things have just escalated, with shipments of PlayStation 3 consoles seized by European customs after claims that its Blu-ray drive infringes on a number of LG's patents.
It's not a permanent, outright ban of PS3s for the region - the injunction will last for ten days - but it does cause concern for Sony as it's apparent that the International Trade Commission saw merit in LGs claim, originally filed in the USA.
The Korean technology outfit says that Sony's movie-playing disc drive infringes on four of its copyrighted patents, while a number of Bravia TVs also infringe another four. Which is kind of funny, given that Sony pioneered Blu-ray technology. Oh, the irony.
Without any fresh shipments of PS3 consoles, the continent is said to have a mere two to three weeks' worth of inventory left in the channel. 100,000 machines a week are imported to Europe and with LG likely to push for an extension on the current sales ban, this will result in problematic times for Sony.
The PlayStation maker was quoted as saying, "We are currently looking into this matter, and cannot make any comments at this point in time."
Source: The Guardian
It's not a permanent, outright ban of PS3s for the region - the injunction will last for ten days - but it does cause concern for Sony as it's apparent that the International Trade Commission saw merit in LGs claim, originally filed in the USA.
The Korean technology outfit says that Sony's movie-playing disc drive infringes on four of its copyrighted patents, while a number of Bravia TVs also infringe another four. Which is kind of funny, given that Sony pioneered Blu-ray technology. Oh, the irony.
Without any fresh shipments of PS3 consoles, the continent is said to have a mere two to three weeks' worth of inventory left in the channel. 100,000 machines a week are imported to Europe and with LG likely to push for an extension on the current sales ban, this will result in problematic times for Sony.
The PlayStation maker was quoted as saying, "We are currently looking into this matter, and cannot make any comments at this point in time."
Source: The Guardian
Companies:
Sony
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