AfterDawn: News

Sony sues Lik-Sang for selling PSPs

The folks at Sony really don't like the Hong Kong based Lik-Sang, a popular online store for gamers. Back in the 2002 they sued Lik-Sang for selling MOD chips for PS2. This time they are against them for selling Sony PSP portable devices.

The PSP is yet to be released in Europe and the official release date is set a 1st of September. Lik-Sang however has been happy to sell and ship the devices to European customers. Sony feels that this is "unlawful interference with Sony's economic interests".. Another issue was the PSP owners manual that was made available on the Lik-Sang website.

Sony warned Lik-Sang on 14 June it would begin legal proceedings if the manual was not removed, along with links to Sony's own website. Lik-Sang maintains it immediately complied with that request.



Lik-Sang vowed to fight the case, claiming it has Hong Kong trade regulations on its side. They, it said, "allows free trade once an item entered the market for sale". In other words, what we do with a PSP once we've bought it is up to us - and that includes selling it on to consumers in the UK and elsewhere.

Source: The Register

Written by: Lasse Penttinen @ 8 Aug 2005 11:53

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• 11 comments

• MXGzX

  Quote:what we do with a PSP once we've bought it is up to us - and that includes selling it on to consumers in the UK and elsewhere.that's how everything should be...

  8.8.2005 12:44 #1

• Auslander

  ^agreed. if you buy something, IMHO you should have the right to sell it as long as you don't put it into mass production without legal consent.

  8.8.2005 17:23 #2

• p200002

  seemed sony is pretty active in some of the recent events, i.e. copy protection, liksang.

  8.8.2005 17:51 #3

• Rosco404

  I like lik-Sang they sell some good stuff, just hope they get out of this small pickle :)

  9.8.2005 01:35 #4

• Dude2099

  I have to second what Rosco said, Lik-Sang kick ass. Plus how badly does it hurt Sony really, there still selling PSPs

  9.8.2005 02:02 #5

• ugothim

  Sony needs to release their new products to EVERYONE on the same date ! and they would not have to try and bully people by bringing suit against them..in short the company in Hong Kong bought and paid for their units and therefore can sell and or show it and/or the manual to whomever they please !

  11.8.2005 08:22 #6

• soundpimp

  Its not really sony who are really that bothered it the companies like, Dixson's, Games etc who are putting lots of press on Sony as they are expecting to reep in the money once the PSP is realised. They are complaining to Sony about poor pre-orderes on the PSP. Sony get the same money weather from Hong Kong, Japan, U.S.A. or Europe when it is final comes out. As said above the best way to stop this is to relese the product worldwide at the sametime as XBOX360 will be. Or so I hear. Any way Fingers crossed for Lik-Sang, They rock!!!

  11.8.2005 11:14 #7

• m_towell

  Exactly - when will they learn that they should release things globally at the same time!. Doesn't matter if it's movies, music, or hardware. Release it globally at the same time and people wouldn't have to go overseas to buy/pirate the thing.

  11.8.2005 16:06 #8

• nightw

  "unlawful interference with Sony's economic interests"
  
  WTF? Sony really thought anyone in the world will ever be intrested in their "economic interest"? Ha-ha-ha. People want to play and want to pay for it in the US and in Japan and in Europe too of course. That's it. Sony lost the game if that really was the cause. Or maybe all of it's because Sony want some hype. We'll never know.

  12.8.2005 06:04 #9

• Malaquias

  Isn´t it funny how big corporations are pro globalization, only when it works their way? This is globalization at its best, allowing anyone anywhere to buy anything.
  Big Business, however, wants the perks of globalization, but keeping their sacred turfs isolated, so they can stiffle competition and imposse their own terms.

  15.8.2005 19:11 #10

• cdrw

  Hi all
  
  I was shocked at this news. Sony seemed to have taken things way to far this time as Lik Sang was accused of selling items which were not certified for overseas use, yet every single Sony product was worldwide voltage with all the certifications required, including CE and the N "tick" for Australia.
  
  I bought my original Sony PSP in March 2005 from Lik Sang and then bought another Sony PSP from Lik Sang in September 2005 (one white and one black) then i bought the Sony PSP battery charger which only just appeared in Harvey Norman stores in Australia.
  
  Lik Sang did nothing wrong and Sony's claims are all bullshit. Sonys products all come with worldwide voltage power supplies, etc but all these official products were made by Sony themselves, and were not counterfeit or fake.
  
  So Sony is knocking off Lik Sang for selling products that are designed to work worldwide which are sold by Sony themselves too. This is shooting your own foot.
  
  I hope Lik Sang come back as original out of all this as i miss that company so much already. Whos going to compensate Lik Sang for all their stock? This is bullying by a huge company for something which the company does itself.
  
  I hope the lawyers and the courts see the truth behind all this and reinstate and dismiss all claims by Sony in the interests of gamers worldwide.

  5.11.2006 07:30 #11