All new PS3s have to be confiscated as they are imported into the UK and the rest of Europe for at least 10 days. If the injunction is extended, it could mean a PS3 shortage, as retailers state they have roughly two to three weeks worth of stock. Tens of thousands of PS3s have already been seized by customs officers last week in the Netherlands.
Sony is understandly desperate, trying to get the ban lifted, while LG could apply for a court order to get the consoles destroyed - this is a highly unlikely circumstance however.
The entire mess has arisen from a legal battle between the two Asian companies. Sony initated it when the company had brought lawsuits on the South Korean company LG, claiming their mobile phones, notably the Lotus Elite, Neon, Remarq, Rumor 2 and Xenon models, were infringing on seven Sony patents. LG is the third largest producer of mobiles.
LG’s counter-suit against Blu-Ray devices is based on the fact that the Blu-Ray’s patents, which deal with high-definition receivers, and receiving and processing signals that are a way of dealing with multiple data streams (such as different camera angles, as well as a system to reproduce data that’s stored on a read-only device) infringe on four of their patents.
LG, Inc. is also setting their sights on having the PS3 embargoed in the US as well.
