Lik-Sang goes out of business, tells their side of story [Update 1]
It was just a few days ago that popular import gaming site, Lik-Sang, was rocked by a judge's ruling that it could no longer sell Sony's systems out of region. Now, Lik-Sang is giving their side of the story.
Lik-Sang said, "Hong Kong's laws are clear when it comes to parallel trade, and the company has no ties whatsoever with the UK." However, ruling Judge Michael Fysh saw things differently by saying "The acts of which the complaint is made have, in my view, been perpetrated not in Hong Kong but here in the EEA, and without Sony's consent."
[Update: Lik-Sang has officially closed its doors. Here's an excerpt from the press release:
"Lik-Sang.com, the popular gaming retailer from Hong Kong, has today announced that it is forced to close down due to multiple legal actions brought against it by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Sony claimed that Lik-Sang infringed its trade marks, copyright and registered design rights by selling Sony PSP consoles from Asia to European customers, and have recently obtained a judgment in the High Court of London (England) rendering Lik-Sang's sales of PSP consoles unlawful. As of today, Lik-Sang.com will not be in the position to accept any new orders and will cancel and refund all existing orders that have already been placed."
Lik-Sang notes that many individuals of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe received their PSPs via a Lik-Sang import:
"The list of PSP related Sony Europe orders reads like the who's who of the videogames industry, and includes Ray Maguire (Managing Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd), Alan Duncan (UK Marketing Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd), Chris Sorrell (Creative Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd), Rob Parkin (Development Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited), just to name a few."]
[Update: Sony denies responsibility for the closure, according to GI.biz: "Lik-Sang did not contest this case (i.e. they did not turn up and therefore incurred no legal costs). We have been awarded substantial costs against Lik-Sang which have not been paid... The purchasing of PSP consoles by SCE employees would be for investigatory purposes. We would also like to express our surprise at a company releasing personal information about its consumers." +1 Sony, -1 Gamers]
