According to Lik-Sang, the suit, filed on Monday in the High
Court of Hong Kong, alleges that the online retailer has breached
Sony’s trade marks by offering the PSP for sale to UK customers.
The device is designed to play games, films and music on the
move.
Sony is also alleging that Lik-Sang committed further copyright
infringement by mirroring the PSP manual on the news section of the
Lik-Sang website during early June.
Sony is seeking a court order that would prevent Lik-Sang from
selling or offering systems, games and accessories to customers in
the UK and the rest of the European Economic Area.
This practice is called parallel importing: where branded goods
intended for one market are bought in another, taking advantage of
differences in pricing and/or availability.
The PSP was scheduled to be launched in Europe in March 2005,
the same date as its US launch. But the European launch was
postponed for six months because of supply difficulties and
impatient gamers have turned to grey-market sales.
In response, Sony has threatened a number of online retailers.
It says its concern with parallel imports is that they spoil the
interest and excitement that Sony wants to build for the European
launch. It also fears that its reputation will suffer among those
who buy from importers, pointing out that there won't be a Sony
warranty, and that Japanese products come with Japanese
manuals.
It has already won injunctions against a number of UK retailers,
and has now turned its attention overseas.
Lik-Sang has vowed to fight the action.
"This is the most aggressive move against its own customers that
a console manufacturer has ever taken in the 30 year history of
videogames", said Pascal Clarysse, Marketing Manager for
Lik-Sang.com.
