Sony accuses Lik-Sang of "sour grapes"

In other news from our favorite Japanese corporate giant, Sony is denying that its legal action was the reason that Lik-Sang was forced to close its virtual doors earlier today. According to GamesIndustry.biz, Sony has accused the Hong Kong-based retailer of "sour grapes," pointing out that Lik-Sang did not contest the UK legal battle, "and therefore incurred no legal costs." That seems pretty fair, given that Lik-Sang had a pretty borderline business model to begin with. In related news, Sony also claimed that the reason why several Sony Europe execs bought PSPs from Lik-Sang was for "investigatory purposes," and certainly not because they were impatient.

[JB @ Oct 24th 2006 10:40PM]

If you think this website is some big conspiracy (and you already gained tinfoil hat points by deriving corporate ownership = omg bias, as well as calling people "sheep". Yes, because people believe differently in what you do, they're sheep. Wake me when you get out of your high-school level debate skills, champ), then go somewhere else. I mean, if you're right, that this is all one massive conspiracy, then surely you can't beat "THE MAN" that runs this, right? So why waste your time? GO! GO! For the good of the people! Save us from the internet, oh greasy and tinfoil hatted one!

[JB @ Oct 24th 2006 10:46PM]

Also, if you checked your facts, dummy, you'd know that Time Warner is a split content provider between formats. In other words, stupid, they have just as much at stake with Blu ray as they do with HD DVD. The only exclusive HD DVD studio is Universal. So lo and behold, you were spamming inaccurate facts. That's certainly not a bias in itself, is it, by spreading misinformation?

[BuGG @ Oct 24th 2006 8:07PM]

Boycott Sony. They can see the public outcry for what they did to Lik-Sang so they release this pathetic excuse. No PS3 for me.

[Justin @ Oct 24th 2006 8:12PM]

Now they have the balls to kick Lik-Sang when they're down? Can't wait for that Wii...

[michael leimon @ Oct 24th 2006 8:20PM]

Gee, thanks Sony. Yet another nice thing you have managed to ruin. It's not like they would have been a big issue to you anymore anyway. People only export products that are *worthwhile* not $600 blue-ray players with video game functionallity. Here is a little hint for you guys, if you want to win the next gen console race then you should start when it starts, not 6 months late. Okay, i'm done hating for now.

[whatevas @ Oct 24th 2006 8:23PM]

its just sad one of the most innovative and pioneering companies in the world is also so fucked up in the head.

[Matt B @ Oct 24th 2006 8:28PM]

Poor old Lik-Sang. I feel for you guys. I hope you all don't get in trouble when you do what you are not supposed to. And then, not fight it because you know you were wrong. I really hope it doesn't happen to you.

[Jake @ Oct 24th 2006 8:33PM]

You people are all ignorant idiots. Years ago Sony told everyone they would protect their system if this happened. Lik'Sang ignore any warning. Sony fought it and won. They did what was legally correct and just.

Then Lik'Sang complains Sony cost them everything and they are going out of business. But they didn't pay any legal fees and paid Sony no money at all. How does that work?

And you people still think Sony is the bad guy for protecting what they have a legal right to protect? Everyone is all surprised that a company that deals in the grey market importing business gets slapped legally. What do you expect? What did they expect? Wake up idiots.

[theinvisiblemooseman @ Oct 24th 2006 8:46PM]

It is not illegal to resell hardware.

[Thin Man @ Oct 24th 2006 8:38PM]

They haven't paid fines yet but they will in the near future. Also, what is so wrong with Gray Market imports?

[Anonymous @ Oct 24th 2006 8:52PM]

I feel Lik-Sang is trying to play the "martyr", to garner pity. I fail to see the big deal, ultimately. You all have other alternatives. Stop whining.

I pretty much agree with Sony's decision, and with what Jake said. The people "boycotting" Sony are just ridiculous, too. Talk about people taking video game-related things far too seriously.

[Jason @ Oct 24th 2006 9:04PM]

How much you want to bet LikSang will file for bankruptcy to avoid any future Sony litigation and reopen under some other name until Sony closes that business down?

LikSang must have a good sized inventory yet they cancelled all non shipped orders. What do they plan to do with all that stock?

[Mike @ Oct 24th 2006 9:08PM]

sony can lick my balls

that is all.

[Jason @ Oct 24th 2006 9:09PM]

BTW, how am I suppose to get more LikSang coffee mugs now? I love my coffee mug and surely I will drop and smash it within days since I can't get another one.

[++good @ Oct 24th 2006 9:11PM]

This reminds me of when my little brother used to bug me to the point I'd punch him in the arm. Then he'd scream that it was broken (it wasn't) but Mom would rake me over the coals regardless. Until one day she caught him bugging me and then he got raked.
I liked Lik-Sang, but when you brake the law, you get busted. They were warned several times about selling Sony stuff without permission. This was going to happen sooner or later. Screaming about it just gets you attention. Until someone realizes what laws were broken. Then you become the bad guy.

[BSW @ Oct 24th 2006 11:04PM]

"They were warned several times about selling Sony stuff without permission"

What? Is our education system really this bad, or is the corporate brainwashing really that good? Both?

I own a PS2 and a PSP, Sony DVD player, Sony VCR, even a Sony alarm for crying out loud. You're telling me that I need Sony's permission to sell any of these? If true, what other reason than that do you need for a boycott, since by definition, EVERY Sony product ever made (or ever will be made) is simply an anchor around your neck. Sony gear is now in the "Disposables" category?

Want to upgrade by selling your existing set and applying that $$$ toward a better unit? Nope, you have to just throw it away.

How hard is it to understand that Lik-Sang is (err... was) a private entity selling private property? Everything Lik-Sang have ever sold was purchased by them first. Never heard of that? It's called capitalism... Free-market.

The truth = Sony has tried for years to shut down the likes of Lik-Sang because they interfered with Sony's ability to extort higher fees for identical products in different geographic locations. How did they eventually succeed? By suing them in two countries simultaneously FOR USING THE LOGO, plus a dash of blatantly false fear-mongering e.g. "voltage difference between the Asian and EU versions could be harmful".

eBay is fucked. Imagine how many images are on eBay this very second containing the logo? eBay's pockets might be deeper than Lik-Sang's, you say?

[Robotron @ Oct 24th 2006 9:11PM]

Love how Sony is trying to turn Lik-Sang into the bad guy.

Sony is the one who took it to the courts. Lik-Sang is the company that is out of business.
Sony is the company that will make more off Euro consumers now.

Boycott Sony.

[Barry @ Oct 24th 2006 9:50PM]

I'm sure Sony's actions were completely valid in the eyes of the law.

That doesn't mean they don't completely suck for doing it. I could go down the list of crappy stunts this company has pulled, but we all know it. Are they going for "Worst Company of the Decade?" I don't know if that title officially exists, but if it does they're going to win it.

[TT @ Oct 24th 2006 10:04PM]

my guess is that the reason lik-sang isn't fighting this is because sony can afford to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on lawyers and lik-sang can't. if lik-sang was to try and fight sony (even though sony's claims about 'protecting' us are just PR spin and basically a lie) they would probably end up losing every penny they have and then going out of business anyway. so lik-sang probably decided it could not fight against sony's huge legal resources and chose instead to shut down the business and to try to find another way to survive and make a living for their families - rather than watching what resources they may have all wasted on a legal battle it could never afford to win, since sony could hire a whole team of sleazy lawyers (as they have done many times before in the past.) sony knows all this, of course. they are bullies, and they know how to bully.

my heart goes out to lik-sang and from now on i am boycotting sony. not just for this infraction, but also for their constant stream of lying, manipulating and arrogance. for their exploding batteries, their transparent media spin, their illegal trojan horse software put onto some of their CD's, etc.

since sony likes to lie, play dirty, install trojan horses on cd's, etc - my wish is for poetic justice. maybe there are some master hackers out there who will give sony a taste of their own medicine someday and compromise some of their company computers - which undoubtedly contain proof of even more blatantly nefarious activities.

everyone is entitled to their opinion (which is hopefully as informed as possible.) my personal opinion is that sony is corrupt, and therefore i am now boycotting all sony products. i'm sure sony doesn't care - since even if tens of thousands of us do the same, it's statistically insignificant. and if they lose a little money, they will just pass the cost on to their consumers, as usual. but it's what i can do, so i'm doing it.

[abib @ Oct 24th 2006 10:15PM]

people are easily duped by Sony's lies. Of course Lik Sang havent paid EVEN A SINGLE penny to their lawyers. But, if they want to keep their business, they have to fight the legal action. There is no way out. Fight Sony or shut down the business. Since they have not enough money to fight it, they just shut down their business so the sue can be dropped.

[TT @ Oct 24th 2006 10:23PM]

if there's anything that's not above board going on here, it's being done by "RxRitalin" - who is repeatedly spamming this board with his inflammatory, repeat posts. which i hope engadget will delete asap. talk about childish...

[TT @ Oct 24th 2006 10:44PM]

just because aol time warner may own engadget does not imply conspiracy. when a large company acquires a smaller one, they do not send in secret agents to brainwash all of the writers and then force them to impersonate posters in order to disseminate petty propaganda. if you seriously believe that kind of conspiracy theory, you may need to have your dose of ritalin reduced. the more diverse the opinions here are, the more traffic the site will get. so there would be no motive for them to stack the boards with a particular viewpoint. engadget sells ads. they want us to see the ads. that is their only ulterior motive. the writers are writers because they enjoy (and are very good at) writing. they are not propagandists. if anything, they are irreverent and unpredictable. if you think that there is a bias on the boards, then that would be a result of the community that has arisen around engadget being - through natural causes - of a certain leaning. one which may fluctuate over time or may stay the same.

[Mike @ Oct 24th 2006 10:58PM]

Today is a happy day for GameStop.

[Peter Rojas @ Oct 24th 2006 11:00PM]

The very notion that someone -- anyone -- at Time Warner would be telling us what to write is absurd. We've never had ANY interaction with ANYONE at Time Warner about ANYTHING. Anyone who has ever worked at a large corporation will know just how disorganized and disjointed everything is.

[mizu @ Oct 25th 2006 1:35AM]

what about dynamism?

[Peter Payne @ Oct 25th 2006 10:01PM]

In other news, crappy eBay sellers were heard rejoicing in the streets since their primary competitor is now gone...