Sony is not going after UK owners of imported PSPs |
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Published
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Sat, 25 Jun 2005 13:35
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Sony's PlayStation Portable has gamers salivating worldwide and UK gamers are no exception. In the clamor to get their hands on the gadget of the year, retailers and gamers alike have employed some questionable methods.
The PSP will be launched in Europe only by September 1, 2005. But try telling that to the impatient gamers. Ever since the console hit the markets in December in Japan, British companies have been importing it, since gamers felt unable to wait till the official release in Britain.
Now, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, the European arm of the Japanese electronics giant has moved the high court to seek an injunction barring British companies from importing the console from outside Europe, most notably from Japan. The Guardian reported yesterday that Sony now wants dealers to reveal the owners of the PSP, who purchased the console on the grey market.
Analysts speculated that perhaps the company would impound the consoles. Should this happen, then consumers who paid close to £200 to buy the imported PSP's could be left in the lurch. In a statement, defending its action Sony said, "We will continue to be vigilant and, where necessary, take appropriate action against those unlawfully importing PSPs into Europe."
But the outcome of the lawsuit could depend on whether Sony permitted the firms to import the PSP. Says Alex Chapman, a partner with law firm Briffa, which specializes in the games industry, "The legal question is whether Sony has given implied consent to these PSPs being put on the market in the European Union." But Dan Morelle, managing director of import firm ElectricBirdLand, one of the companies contesting the action, says, "The industry has its fingerprints all over the PSP. We're not selling counterfeit products. All we're doing is the one thing Sony hasn't done: selling PSP to European buyers."
And therein lies the question. Was Sony hoping to fan the interest of the EU consumers before releasing the PSP or was it only because of manufacturing constraints that the company has delayed the EU launch?
Reacting to the reports that Sony was going after PSP owners in the UK, an SCEE spokesman said, "We're absolutely not going after consumers - that's not our objective at all. We can assure people who bought consoles on the grey market that we're not going to be going after them." This means that for the time being at least, gamers can relax. But the outcome of the lawsuit would add an interesting twist to the status of the so-called grey imports" in the British market.
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