Korean technology company LG Electronics Inc. is trying to block the sale of PlayStation 3 and Sony Bravia TVs in the United States due to patent infringements, with the action seen by some as a response to Sony’s accusation that several LG Phones infringe on their patents.
On December 28th, 2010 Sony brought fourth a complaint with the International Trade Commission (ITC) claiming LG mobile phones are infringing seven Sony patents. In turn, as of February 4th, 2011 LG is claiming that Sony is violating 8 other patents, 4 of which pertain to devices that use Blu-ray technology. LG is seeking to have the products that violate the patents blocked from being imported, which the ITC is able to do. They cannot however order any financial compensation, and so each company has filed a civil suit against one another in California for unauthorized use of each other’s inventions.
The cases stand to not only end a huge portion of our LifeStyle, but have a heavy impact on the Television market as well, since LG and Sony are two of the top three TV manufacturers in the world. Whatever the outcome, each company has plenty to lose, as both generate a fifth of their revenue through American sales. It might be time to stock up on PlayStation 3 hardware soon, and you can be sure PlayStation LifeStyle will keep you posted when we know more.
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