PS3 importers threatened by Sony

Chicago (IL) - Even though there’s only a few hundred thousand consoles across the globe right now, Sony is already making clear that it wants no one to import the PS3 from foreign countries, threatening legal action against anyone who does so.

According to a report in industry magazine MCV, Sony’s lawyers have released a statement warning importers about the lawsuits they’ll probably have to face.

"As far as importers of PS3s are concerned, they should bear in mind that any profit they may make from importing the consoles into Europe without Sony’s consent this Christmas may well be short lived," says in-house counsel Mitra Pahlabod. The legal issue at play here apparently is trademark infringement.

European consumers became upset when Sony pushed back the PS3 launch to next year, due to production problems, and caused some of them to start a boycott against the new console. Accordingly, the import market promised to be very lucrative for both buyers and sellers. That’s why Sony is making this message now.

This announcement comes just weeks after Sony’s harsh litigation against importers caused the popular online store Lik-Sang to shut down. Lik-Sang cried out, calling market share-leading Sony a bully and saying it failed to provide a substantial reason to attack the store.

"Brand owners should be aware of their rights with regard to grey importing, monitor closely the sale of their goods and where possible ensure that their trademark registrations are kept fully up to date," said Pahlabod.