Pacific Game Technology (Holding) Ltd. is being sued in Hong Kong by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) for selling the PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld game console to customers in the U.K., the Hong Kong-based company said Monday.
Pacific Game Technology runs the Lik-Sang.com Web site, which specializes in sales of consoles, accessories and video games. The company has been selling the PSP in the U.K., despite the fact it hasn’t yet been officially launched in the country by Sony.
According to Pacific Game Technology, SCEI and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd. (SCE Europe) have filed a lawsuit against it in the High Court of Hong Kong.
That lawsuit alleges Lik-Sang.com has violated SCE Europe’s trademark by selling the PSP to customers in the U.K. It seeks an injunction to prevent Lik-Sang.com from selling consoles, games and accessories to customers in the U.K. and Europe, the company said.
The lawsuit also claimed copyright infringement and damages from a freely available copy of SCEI’s PSP manual on the Lik-Sang.com Web site, Pacific Game Technology said in a statement. Sony’s U.K. subsidiary had warned the company on June 14 to take down the copy of the manual, it said, noting it was removed from the Web site at that time.
SCE Europe and SCEI executives could not immediately be reached for comment.
The PSP is not currently available in Europe. SCEI is expected to launch the handheld console there next month.
Pacific Game Technology said it will continue to sell the PSP to customers in the U.K., noting that the company has no ties to the country and is not bound by U.K. laws. The company said Hong Kong law allows free trade for any item that is available in the territory, as the PSP is.
Pacific Game Technology plans to fight the SCEI lawsuit, it said, and appealed for support from employees and customers.