MyGaming: PS3 shipments held in Europe after legal injunction by LG

VioAdmin said:

You have to be kidding me, **** you LG.

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If Sony is found to have infringed LG patents, it could be forced to compensate the South Korean manufacturer for each PS3 it has sold around the world, which could cost hundreds of millions of pounds.

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ponder said:

You seem to use that line line with everything concerning Sony. Must be an uber fanboy!

In most of the cases you don't have a clue what's going on but because it's Sony they are always right in your eyes.

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VioAdmin said:

lol w-t-f. Where did YOU come from, did you just post this reply to get me to reply, do you want like an internet battle or something? Where we call each other names etc? Is your life that pathetic? How about you do something productive once, and *ponder about your post.

I love my Sony products, and I am not here to have my vote swayed like I am into politics, if you are this bored on MyBB to single out my post(s), I have nothing to say to you other than LMFAO.

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ryu said:

anyone care to post the full article, mygaming blocked here

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ponder said:

Explains a lot.

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ryu said:

anyone care to post the full article, mygaming blocked here

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28 February, 2011 | Tarryn van der Byl
PS3 shipments held in Europe after legal injunction by LG

This mad thing has actually happened
So, remember when LG petitioned for a sales ban on PS3 consoles for alleged patent infringement? Oh, it’s on.

According to a report on The Guardian, “European customs officers have been ordered to seize shipments of Playstation 3s after LG won a preliminary injunction against Sony in an acrimonious patent battle between the two Asian electronics giants.”

Apparently “tens of thousands of consoles” have already been confiscated at the Netherlands’ borders, and are now also being held up in the UK. If this drama continues, it’s possible they’ll be yanked off retail shelves next. In the meantime, Sony is “frantically” fighting the suit.

LG is claiming that Sony infringed a number of patents relating to Blu-ray playback. In not-at-all-related news, Sony had previously claimed LG had infringed on a bunch of their patents with some of the company’s smartphones and Blu-ray players, and filed to block distribution in the States. And then LG told the teacher that Sony was passing notes at the back of the class, and somebody said Sony had spread nasty rumours about LG being a bad kisser during lunch break.

SA imports its PS3s from Europe, and we will be contacting local PS3 distributor SterKinekor first thing in the morning to find out if this will affect local availability of the console.

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LG Fires Back at Sony in Patent Fight Over TVs, Phones
By Susan Decker - Feb 7, 2011 4:55 PM GMT+0200

LG Electronics Inc., facing patent- infringement claims brought by Sony Corp., fired back with complaints seeking to block sales of Sony Bravia televisions and PlayStation 3 consoles in the U.S.

LG claims Sony’s high-definition TVs infringe four patents, while products with Blu-ray players including the PlayStation infringe four others, according to two complaints filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington on Feb. 4.

The case increases tension that began when Sony, Japan’s biggest exporter of consumer electronics, brought cases to the ITC on Dec. 28 against Seoul-based LG, the world’s third-largest maker of mobile phones. The two companies each get more than 20 percent of their revenue from North America. The ITC has the power to block imports of products that violate U.S. patents.

The ITC is investigating claims that LG mobile phones are infringing seven Sony patents. The LG phones named include the Lotus Elite, Neon, Remarq, Rumor 2 and Xenon. A civil lawsuit Sony brought targets LG Blu-ray disc players.

LG also filed civil suits against Sony in federal court in California, making similar claims and seeking cash compensation for the unauthorized use of its inventions. The ITC doesn’t have the power to order financial damages. LG and Sony are the world’s second- and third-largest TV makers, trailing Samsung Electronics Co.

Blu-ray Technology

The patents in the TV case relate to high-definition receivers, and receiving and processing signals. The Blu-ray patents are for a way of dealing with multiple data streams, such as different camera angles, as well as a system to reproduce data that’s stored on a read-only device.

The ITC cases are In the Matter of Certain Digital Televisions, Complaint No. 2785 and In the Matter of Certain Electronic Devices Having a Blu-Ray Disc Player, Complaint NO. 2786, both U.S. International Trade Commission (Washington).

Sony’s ITC case is In the Matter of Certain Mobile Telephones and Modems, 337-758, U.S. International Trade Commission (Washington). The civil suit is Sony Corp. v. LG Electronics USA Inc., 10cv9967, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Los Angeles).

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European customs ordered to seize PlayStation shipments in legal dispute
Confiscations ordered after Asian electronics giant LG wins preliminary injunction against Sony in acrimonious patent battle

Josh Halliday
guardian.co.uk, Monday 28 February 2011 17.33 GMT

European customs officers have been ordered to seize shipments of Playstation 3s after LG won a preliminary injunction against Sony in an acrimonious patent battle between the two Asian electronics giants.

The ruling by the civil court of justice in the Hague means that all new PS3s have to be confiscated as they are imported into the UK and the rest of Europe for at least 10 days.

If the injunction was extended it could mean consoles disappearing from high street shelves. It is understood that Sony and computer games retailers typically have about two to three weeks' worth of PS3s in stock across the continent.

Tens of thousands of PS3s were seized by customs officers last week in the Netherlands, the Guardian has learnt, in a dispute that centres on Sony's allegedly infringing use of Blu-ray technology belonging to LG.

Sony, which imports around 100,000 of the consoles a week, is frantically trying to get the ban lifted. The Japanese company has the right to appeal to the European patents office.

LG meanwhile, could apply to the same patents office to get the 10-day import ban extended. Alternatively, the Korean company could apply for a court order to get the consoles destroyed but it is highly unlikely the court would grant a request to eliminate the warehoused goods.

LG argues that Sony PS3s infringe a number of its patents relating to playback of Blu-ray Discs. LG called for an investigation into the PS3's Blu-ray use in a filing with the US international trade commission earlier this month, and said it sought a "permanent exclusion order ... excluding entry into the United States" of the games console.

If Sony is found to have infringed LG patents, it could be forced to compensate the South Korean manufacturer for each PS3 it has sold around the world, which could cost hundreds of millions of pounds.

The two technology giants are involved in a complex web of seven separate patent disputes, with Sony also seeking to block shipments of LG smartphones to the US.

Rotterdam and Schiphol are the main import points for PS3s for both the UK and continental Europe. The consoles are being stockpiled in Dutch warehouses until it becomes clear how the case will develop.

A spokesman for Sony Playstation said: "We are currently looking into this matter, and cannot make any comments at this point in time." LG declined to comment, although sources close to the company confirmed the current legal position.

Sony has sold more than 3m PS3s in the UK since its launch in March 2007. The Japanese manufacturer is understood to have a stockpile of around 6,500 PS3s in Germany and 10,000 in the UK.

However, the majority of PS3 sales around Europe are pre-orders, meaning they are already sold before they gather dust at warehouses in the UK and elsewhere. Stockpiles could run out within two to three weeks if the ban is not lifted, the Guardian understands.

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noxibox said:

Now imagine if these companies took all the money they waste on lawyers trying to block competition and innovation, and instead spent it on something crazy like research and development. Or even just kept it as profit.

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Wasp_21 said:

I think the impact on sales far outweighs the cost of Lawyers and so -on. Precedents are also set for future reference.

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noxibox said:

What impact on sales? Company A makes their product, company B makes theirs. And they both get to sell them. Instead they spend years fighting to get each others products pulled from the market, probably based on broad meaningless patents. They will also all continue to spend money on registering broad meaningless patents because they might need them to attack a competitor or defend against an attack.

The regular patent disputes demonstrate that precedents are worthless.

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Wasp_21 said:

I would definately protect my intellectual propoerty by means of patents, as this secures my market share, and my product edge, for at lease a longer period than if i didn't, or until an alternative is made, without patent infringement.

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And then LG told the teacher that Sony was passing notes at the back of the class, and somebody said Sony had spread nasty rumours about LG being a bad kisser during lunch break.

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ponder said:

Problem with patents are is that they are so broad and generic. Pretty soon someone is going to patent the process of breathing and demand money from everybody...

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Wasp_21 said:

Was it Facebook wanting to patent the word face, or was that just April Fools.

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