Sony locks down PSP imports

Judge stops online retailer Nuplay selling Japanese PSPs

| Jul 25, 2005

Sony continued to tighten the screws on companies importing PSPs from the US and Japan. In its latest victory, it won an injunction stopping online retailer Nuplayer selling Japanese PSPs in the UK.

The judge, Mr Justice Lawrence Collins, agreed with Sony that these sales infringed its trademarks such as the term PlayStation and the symbols on the controller button. Nuplay claimed it would cover these up with felt tip pen and black facias but the judge said this would not be enough. He also pointed that the Japanese PSPs hadn’t passed the official European consumer electronics tests, without which any product cannot be lawfully sold in the UK.

Finally he said that in this case he didn’t think it was fair Nuplayer should be allowed to sell PSPs in such a highly unsatisfactory manner which damages Sony's goodwill prior to the European PSP launch on 1 September.

Full details of the case can be found at http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Ch/2005/1522.html

Jon Jordan

A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon can turn his hand to anything except hand turning. He is editor-at-large at PG.biz which means he can arrive anywhere in the world, acting like a slightly confused uncle looking for the way out. He likes letters, cameras, imaginary numbers and legumes.

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