News reaches us this afternoon of a small legal storm brewing in Europe between Japanese electronics giant Sony and even-more-giant Korean rival LG, centred around Sony’s apparent use of patented Blu-Ray playback technology inside the Playstation 3. The pair are currently mired in a slew of lawsuits, however a European judge seems to think this one has some basis, and has ordered all freshly imported PS3s to be impounded in a warehouse in Holland until the ban is lifted.
As The Guardian reports, Sony imports around 100,000 of the consoles every week, and if the ban isn’t removed in a few weeks Europe as a continent could see itself run dry of fresh systems, no doubt leading to panic, rioting in the streets, the overthrow of governments, and an eventual decline into a Mad Max-style wasteland.
Sony is understandably appealing to the European Patents Office to resolve the situation, which could severely disrupt the company’s operations. However, if the appeal is quashed Sony could see itself having to sit on its hands while the lumbering European legal system deals with the matter. The outcome will either result in the claims against it being overturned and a return to business as normal, or a victory for LG, which could see Sony having to pay a licensing fee for the technology per console sold, past and present. As the current tally stands at just over 50 million PS3s sold worldwide, that could prove quite pricey.
The move will no doubt come as a shock to many industry observers, as although patent lawsuits have become the order of the day in recent years, they hardly ever result in any definitive action. Usually the companies involved reach a cross-licensing agreement, or the suit simply disappears into the mists of time. The very fact that no less than seven active patent disputes exists just between Sony and LG speaks volumes about the litigious nature of modern tech companies.
I’d be willing to bet more than a few yen that the move has taken Sony by surprise, and it will be scrambling to get the ban lifted as soon as it can.
