The Wholesale Forums

[Anthony]

Sony are now taking legal action against Lik-Sang for selling PSPs.
http://www.lik-sang.com/news.php?art...ikref=alert487

Lik-sang are probably one of Sony's best customers for selling the PSP as they have been selling to anywhere in the world since they were released in Japan, and the first few shipments sold out in minutes.

Is this the wrong move by Sony...?

Time will tell I suppose...

[MustHaveMobiles]

NO it shouldn't because there are other big(ger) players out there that will step in, Sony HAD to make this move to show that they were not p##sing about when they set out the guidelines for supply to the UK.

It's Sony flexing their muscles to make a point that no distributor is bigger than them

[Anthony]

ah.....

Cheers Mike...

[mkidderenterpri]

Also discussed on Sony sue PSP exporter

[tantk]

This was posted in another thread but I thought I would cut and re-paste it in this thread so

as to summarise and close up the issue with lik-sang and their lawsuit with Sony.

Sony has warned that it will take legal action against anyone engaging in grey importing of its products after scoring a High Court victory over online retailer Lik-Sang.
In his ruling yesterday, Judge Michael Fysh found that Lik-Sang - which offered Japanese PSPs to European consumers via its website - was in breach of intellectual property rights.

Lik-Sang had claimed that it was operating within the law as the company is based in Hong Kong, and has no trading presence in the UK or European Economic Area.
But, as reported by the Financial Times, Judge Fysh ruled that, "The acts of which the complaint is made have, in my view, been perpetrated not in Hong Kong but here in the EEA, and without Sony's consent."

Sony declined to comment directly on the case. However, a spokesperson did tell GI.biz: "The law is clear; grey importing PS2, PSP or PS3 into the EU, without the express permission of SCE is illegal. Therefore, we will utilise the full scope of the law to put a stop to any retailers who chose to do this."

He continued, "Ultimately, we're trying to protect consumers from being sold hardware that does not conform to strict EU or UK consumer safety standards, due to voltage supply differences et cetera; is not - in PS3's case - backwards compatible with either PS1 or PS2 software; will not play European Blu-Ray movies or DVDs; and will not be covered by warranty."

It's no surprise that Sony is offering a strong warning against importing PS3s - there's likely to be a high demand for the consoles in Europe, following the announcement that they won't be officially arriving here until four months after they go on sale in the US and Japan.

The company will doubtless be looking to avoid a repeat of the events of last year, where several retailers, including ElectricBirdLand, ended up in court for selling import PSPs.


Source : http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=20489

[gavin2006]

Blimey first I've heard of this! Off-topic but relevant I have spoken to a possible supplier with regards to placing an order for Sony PS3s and they told me they can not because of Sony's regulations. This put me off the idea totally, unless they are sold to people in Canada and the USA.

Although this news is hardly surprising.

[YNWA]

If Sony where going to sue suppliers again I doubt that Lik Sang would be taking pre orders from UK buyers after their PSP ordeal...so my assumtion is that Sony are fine with the PS3 being imported?

[jay007]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6076354.stm

[nocturnal]

Originally Posted by YNWA

If Sony where going to sue suppliers again I doubt that Lik Sang would be taking pre orders from UK buyers after their PSP ordeal...so my assumtion is that Sony are fine with the PS3 being imported?

I would tread wary if I were you, the precedent was only set last week with the court case
I wouldn't think Lik Sang will be taking orders for much longer.

Sony has said it will use the "full scope of the law" to block the importing of PlayStation 3s (PS3) into Europe before its official release.
The much-anticipated games console goes on sale in the US and Japan next month but is not out in Europe until 2007.

Last week a British judge ruled that Hong Kong import/export firm Lik-Sang could not sell the Japanese version of Sony's handheld PSP in Europe.

The case sets a precedent for would-be importers of PlayStation 3 consoles.

A spokesman for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) told the BBC: "The law is clear, and grey importing PS2, PSP or PS3 into the EU, without the express permission of SCEE is illegal.

"Therefore, we will utilise the full scope of the law to put a stop to any retailers who chose to do this."

From BBC web site.

[nocturnal]

Lik Sang have gone out of business due to multiple legal suits from Sony.

This is from their web site.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - OUT OF BUSINESS NOTICE

Hong Kong, October 24th of 2006 - Lik-Sang.com, the popular gaming retailer from Hong Kong, has today announced that it is forced to close down due to multiple legal actions brought against it by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Sony claimed that Lik-Sang infringed its trade marks, copyright and registered design rights by selling Sony PSP consoles from Asia to European customers, and have recently obtained a judgment in the High Court of London (England) rendering Lik-Sang's sales of PSP consoles unlawful.