No PSP for You Says Sony

The PSP may be just weeks away from its last major launch, but that isn't stopping Sony from suing people.

Sony will release the PSP in Europe on September 1st, bringing to an end a long wait for anxious Europeans. But the run-up to the launch has been marked as much by hype for the portable as by the legal to-and-fro between Sony and various retailers over PSP imports.

Reeves doesn't see Sony as the bad guy in this
and says it is looking out for customers

The latest to feel the brunt of the firm's lawyers is Hong Kong-based Lik-Sang. Sony is starting legal action in the Hong Kong High Court against the popular online retailer for what it says is "unlawful interference with Sony's economic interests".

But Lik-Sang insists that Sony is overreaching this time. The company is relying on Hong Kong's somewhat unique legal system, which is more forgiving of so-called parallel imports, to justify its actions.

"This lawsuit comes as a total surprise to Lik-Sang.com, given that the laws of Hong Kong are clear when it comes to parallel trade," reads a statement from the retailer. "Hong Kong's legislation is based on the fact that allowing parallel and free trade will restore natural competition and benefit consumers with lower prices."

Critics of Sony's legal moves ahead of the PSP's release have argued that the company is going after a core segment of its market. And then there's the scale of the infractions, which is likely to be minimal when compared to European sales at the PSP's release next month.

"This is the most aggressive move against its own customers that a console manufacturer has ever taken in the 30 year history of videogames", says Lik-Sang's Pascal Clarysse.

"Sony wants to completely cut hardcore gamers away from items released in Japan or anywhere else outside their own country. A very active part of the gaming community has been enjoying Japanese gaming culture for over two decades, and that's what the Empire is now willing to destroy."

In its defence, Sony's David Reeves said the company's moves were actually in the best interest of its customers:

"If you buy a PSP, at the moment we simply do not have the resources to repair it, we are not capable of doing that, and we don't think that's fair on the consumer," Reeves told Kikizo in June.

Reeves also said that the long delay between the North American PSP launch in March and the European launch in September was simply due to hardware shortages and the company's desire to meet customer demand.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games