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- Dr_B1G
A legal spat between Sony and Korean electronics manufacturer LG could result in the supplies of PlayStation 3 running rather low very soon.
LG alleges that Sony has infringed four patents relating to the PS3s use of Blu-ray technology. Sony disputes this, of course, but the case is rattling through the courts at the moment, and LG has won an injunction banning European imports of PS3 for 10 days in the interim.
European Customs has already seized PlayStation 3 shipments in the Netherlands, running into tens of thousands of consoles.
So what does this mean for us? Well, at any one time Sony has PS3 stocks to satisfy two to three weeks of demand (approximately 10,000 units in the UK). That being the case, the retail shelves could start looking a little threadbare in around a fortnights time. More worrying, though, LG could be granted an extension to the import ban if its case is successful.
Sony has the right to appeal to the European Patents office to get the ban lifted. But if it is found to have infringed LG's patents, it faces a bill for compensation that will run to hundreds of millions of pounds.
Worrying as it is, theres a certain sense of what goes around comes around in all of this. Industry rumours suggest that LG is only reacting to Sonys 2010 claim that LG smartphones infringe seven of its patents.
What all this means for the longer terms future of PlayStation 3 remains unknown for the time being. However, with this latest case and the ongoing battle against the PS3 pirates, 2011 is already looking like an annus horribilis for Sony. And its only March...!
LG alleges that Sony has infringed four patents relating to the PS3s use of Blu-ray technology. Sony disputes this, of course, but the case is rattling through the courts at the moment, and LG has won an injunction banning European imports of PS3 for 10 days in the interim.
European Customs has already seized PlayStation 3 shipments in the Netherlands, running into tens of thousands of consoles.
So what does this mean for us? Well, at any one time Sony has PS3 stocks to satisfy two to three weeks of demand (approximately 10,000 units in the UK). That being the case, the retail shelves could start looking a little threadbare in around a fortnights time. More worrying, though, LG could be granted an extension to the import ban if its case is successful.
Sony has the right to appeal to the European Patents office to get the ban lifted. But if it is found to have infringed LG's patents, it faces a bill for compensation that will run to hundreds of millions of pounds.
Worrying as it is, theres a certain sense of what goes around comes around in all of this. Industry rumours suggest that LG is only reacting to Sonys 2010 claim that LG smartphones infringe seven of its patents.
What all this means for the longer terms future of PlayStation 3 remains unknown for the time being. However, with this latest case and the ongoing battle against the PS3 pirates, 2011 is already looking like an annus horribilis for Sony. And its only March...!
