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Topic: Hardware

European PS3 shipments seized following LG injunction

Summary: The legal battle between Sony and LG hots up as a legal injunction comes into force banning the importation of the PS3 games console into Europe.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

By for Hardware 2.0 |

The legal battle between Sony and LG hots up as a legal injunction comes into force banning the importation of the PS3 games console into Europe.

The Guardian has learnt that thousands of PS3 games consoles were seized by customs officials in The Netherlands following a ruling by the civil court of justice in the Hague. This ruling now means that all new PS3s imported into Europe for at least the next 10 days will be confiscated at the borders. It is possible that this confiscation order could be extended beyond the current 10 days. Alternatively (although far more unlikely), LG could apply for a court order to have the consoles destroyed.

The legal dispute centers around Blu-ray technology belonging to LG being used by Sony in the console.

As retailers normally only keep a few weeks worth of consoles, these seizures could lead to shortages, which in turn could hit Sony's bottom line.

Grab the popcorn ... this could get interesting.

Topic: Hardware

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56 comments
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  • RE: European PS3 shipments seized following LG injunction

    All this does is hurt the consumer. Where was the injunction about this 5 years ago when Sony reportedly created the blu-ray technology? now LG is complaining because Sony is getting rich off of it? LG, you lost your chance 5 years ago, leave us gamers alone.
    anonymous
    Reply Vote

    • RE: European PS3 shipments seized following LG injunction

      @KBot Actually, that's precisely why they held off. If they put the bid in when the PS3 came out, they wouldn't have gotten a dime. However, if they win this, they would get "compensated" for every PS3 that's been sold. Truthfully, it's a dick move, but well, you know what they say about greed.
      Aerowind
      Reply Vote

      • RE: European PS3 shipments seized following LG injunction

        @Aerowind

        Oh yea I get why LG did it, which is precisely why they need to immediately go bankrupt now. I liked that company, now I think they're just a bunch of greedy @$$holes. Although maybe I'm being too harsh, I like MS and look how much they do, they don't even allow game makers to put up free DLC because they want a piece of the profit.
        anonymous
        Reply Vote

      • RE: European PS3 shipments seized following LG injunction

        If they waited this long to file, then they should be compensated from the date of filing, not the entire 5 years. If they wanted to be compensated for all that time, they should've brought it up immediately and negotiated a settlement then.
        EvieMarie
        Reply Vote

      • but well, you know what they say about greed.

        @Aerowind "but well, you know what they say about greed."

        Greed is good?
        iFX.64
        Reply Vote

      • RE: European PS3 shipments seized following LG injunction

        @Aerowind

        I can't see why it woudl matter. If Sony Created the BluRay who cares what LG thinks. Sony will win. all they need is oen thing that sets Sony's implementation of the Blue Ray apart and LG looses there Case. When it coems down to it, The Streaming aspects of teh Blueray in teh PS3 sets it apart from everything else. LG doesn't even have a comparable player of there own. This Case is solid in Sony's favor, dont' worry about it!!
        Ez_Customs
        Reply Vote

      • RE: European PS3 shipments seized following LG injunction

        @KBot

        You can get free download-able content while using MS products, just not for every game. MS doesn't control that, unless it is on there Live domains, and even then I have games that are on the Free DLC list, like Batman
        Ez_Customs
        Reply Vote

      • RE: European PS3 shipments seized following LG injunction

        @Aerowind You took word right of my mouth.
        You pick a fight only when it's worth fighting over....
        p2pvoice@...
        Reply Vote

    • apparently not.. lol..

      @KBot
      doctorSpoc
      Reply Vote

    • RE: European PS3 shipments seized following LG injunction

      @KBot
      This must be a new thing, it's usually Sony suing everyone for trying to use what they paid them money for.
      sboyce@...
      Reply Vote

      • RE: European PS3 shipments seized following LG injunction

        @sboyce@... I have been reading up on this and I kid you not when I say this all started because Sony filed a lawsuit against LG. And it makes sense when all blu ray history I have read Sony was the first to try to market it. I think if anything LG did this counter suit to show that they aren't pushovers. An injunction after all doesn't mean they won the battle. They just proved that there is enough of a case to delay product. I'm betting Sony will drop there case and LG will stop applying for injunctions.
        bahamutwing
        Reply Vote

    • RE: European PS3 shipments seized following LG injunction

      Who really cares. All the real game players know a good pc kicks any console a$$. Even the game makers add more to the pc side.
      rparker009
      Reply Vote

  • ACTA future

    LG of course can take Sony to court and win damages if they were right, with their 'recording medium having multiple data streams' patent from 2007-May... AFTER PS3 was launched.

    http://www.itcblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/LGbluray-complaint-4feb11.pdf

    Shows you how much damage ACTA can do. It's a trolls paradise, in the heads of the politicians only REAL companies will sue Chinese pirates, but back in the real world most of the lawsuits will be trolls suing productive exporting companies into collapse.
    guihombre
    Reply Vote

    • RE: European PS3 shipments seized following LG injunction

      @guihombre

      If LG filed the original patent claim after sony had brought it to market then the court case would obviously fail.

      Sorry, but people keep making wild statements about things they do not understand, then claiming that due to their failure of knowledge the patent process is unfair.

      I have not read the patent, but I suggest you research this further. Find out the initial filing date - not the granting date.

      It can take many, many years for a patent to be granted, they do not just get stamped 'Approved' when you walk in - that is only in bad movies.
      richardw66
      Reply Vote

      • RE: European PS3 shipments seized following LG injunction

        @richardw66 <br>It's even more complicated -- the EU uses a first-to-file system of handling patents, rather than a first-to-invent system as is practised in the US.<br><br>For example: Consider an invention that is independently conceived by both person A and person B. If person A came up with it a few days before person B, but person B managed to get the patent application properly filed a few days before person A, the outcome may be different depending on whether you're in the EU or the USA.<br><br>In the USA, if person A can prove that he had completed the inventive process a few days before person B (for example, through marketable goods or published white papers), and if he then worked diligently to get a patent filed for the invention as soon as possible, but still ended up filing his patent application after person B, then person A might still be able to invalidate person B's patent in favour of his own.<br><br>In the EU, person B would be more likely to prevail because the filing date of the patent holds more weight than the date at which the two inventors independently completed their inventive work.
        lfmorrison
        Reply Vote

      • Not a first-to-invent but first-to-be-approved

        @richardw66 and @lfmorrison
        The United States has not used a first-to-invent" system for about 20 years. If the Patent is filed and not yet aproved then another can argue in that time that they invented it first however after the patent has been granted then if someone was to challenge the patent they would have to prove that the patent holder used material that belonged to the plaintiff. Even if this is proven then the patent is not transferred but the defendant is usually ordered to pay damages to the plaintiff. This may sound simple but can take over a decade. As for how the EU handles patents I have no idea, I never filed for one there.
        crave420fubar@...
        Reply Vote

      • RE: European PS3 shipments seized following LG injunction

        @richardw66

        So True look at taht Classic 8 BIT game from Sega and NIntendo (Rambo) it was a Sega Title for about 5 years before anythign weas made of it, however, Tengen won for one reason, they got the product out first. Had Sega got there version out first Sega would have won. The same thign will go with this PS3 BS. Sony got PS3 out before LG hasd a working BluRay Player. Shoot I think that PS3 was out before most of the players today.
        Ez_Customs
        Reply Vote

        • RE: European PS3 shipments seized following LG injunction

          @lfmorrison

          However this will boil down to where the companies are operating at. and LG isnt' a EU company Neither are US companies
          Ez_Customs
          Reply Vote

  • Meh, seen it before.

    It's the age old battle of who got there first. Does LG deserve some action? Probably. Is this the best way to get it? Probably, yes a dick move and it hurts gamers [size=freaking huge]BUT[/size] we've seen this done before a thousand times over, Microsoft, Apples, Oracle, Sun, etc. Its the SSDD. Who's going to win? Nobody, this is just a way for LG to make some news, maybe sell a few more products. NEXT!
    stimepy
    Reply Vote

    • Who's going to win?

      @stimepy That's easy. It's always the lawyers that win. They'll get hundreds of thousands of dollars for working this case, win or loose, and then those costs get passed onto the consumer. What a wonderful system.
      Tank252ca
      Reply Vote
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