Inspired by one of AFI’s 100 greatest movie quotes, LG has received its wish, “we don’t need no stinkin’ consoles”. The Korean firm has waged war against Sony and its Playstation 3, insisting bans be placed to prevent import. Today, Playstation 3 consoles imported into the UK and Europe will be seized by customs for at least 10 days.
Blu-ray patents have become a sticky situation for Sony and LG these days. Following a civil court in Hague ruling in favor of LG over the disputes, tens of thousands of PS3s were seized in the Netherlands last week. For retailers in the region, this leaves them with only two to three weeks of inventory. Consider Sony typically imports 100,000 units per week and Houston, we have a problem.
Not all is lost for Sony. The company still has the right to submit an appeal to the European patents office to have the ban lifted. However, LG also has the option of extending the ban beyond 10 days. Meanwhile in the US, LG has taken action against Sony Bravia televisions and PS3 consoles, but a similar ban has not been enforced.
Let us know what you think about the import ban LG has imposed on Sony’s PS3. How will this impact the reported unhackable PS3 in the works? Will Sony shift their gaming titles from disc to download-only to circumvent the legal dispute?
via Gameindustry.biz
