Apparently Selling Products To Customers Who Want Them Doesn't Fit Sony's Strategy
from the not-good-for-anyone dept
pandlcg was the first of many to submit the story about Hong Kong electronics retailer Lik-Sang going out of business following years and years and years of lawsuits from the likes of Sony, who didn't like that Lik-Sang sold modified versions of their gaming console in the past and also would sell Sony devices released in Asia to people in Europe and the US. Sony, for its part, says they have nothing to do with it, and the claim from Lik-Sang is just "sour grapes." They note that Lik-Sang didn't incur any legal costs in the recent lawsuit, as the company chose not to show up and did not pay the fine they were assessed when they then lost the case. Lik-Sang's original going out of business notice, however, makes it clear that the loss in the legal case, making it illegal for them to sell Sony products into the UK is a big hit on their business. Sony had claimed that they filed the lawsuit out of a fear that the Asian products do "not conform to strict EU or UK consumer safety standards." Lik-Sang claims that's untrue, and, if anything only raises questions why Sony believes its own products aren't up to that higher safety code. Sony also complains that these products would not be under warranty -- but that's hard to justify as a legal reason for stopping their import. If the customer is aware that these products are not under warranty, isn't that their decision to make? What this comes down to is the same problem that Sony has face over the past few years: it's unwillingness to bend on "control." It needs to control every aspect of its products, even long after they've been sold -- and that includes things like trying to price their devices much higher in Europe than elsewhere. Unfortunately for Sony, thanks to things like the internet and globalization, control on a regional level just doesn't make sense any more -- no matter how hard they pretend otherwise. While Sony may be happy that Lik-Sang is going out of business, it only does more long-term damage to Sony by making it harder for people who want to buy Sony products to get the version they want.
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That said, Sony has long had a history of missing the mark when trying to market consumer electronics, with the exception of television sets. Witness the far superior Betamax.
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Please be specific.
If a company decides to buy and sell used Playstation consoles, that would be entirely legal and would have no problems on the ethics front. However, it would still match your definition of what is 'wrong'.
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Sony is a "private" comapny and so, presumablym was Lik - Sang. Are you saying that only state run outlets should sell Sony?
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Sony!
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Re: Sony!
Buying a new PS console straight of a retail shelf, and then modding it, and then selling it, is NOT morally wrong (as long as it is true that there were no contracts signed, etc, promising not to mod it). Just because it may be illegal to do in some countries does NOT make it morally wrong. I should have the freedom to buy at retail and resell something that I've added value to. Just because Sony doesn't like it doesn't make it morally wrong. Just because the UK made it illegal doesn't make it wrong.
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Right of First Sale
If I buy the product, I though I could re-sell it to whomever I want.
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im so sony, so very sony............
Thanks coorperate america for patenting the american dream
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sony woes
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the morality of modding
Buying a new PS console straight of a retail shelf, and then modding it, and then selling it, is NOT morally wrong (as long as it is true that there were no contracts signed, etc, promising not to mod it). Just because it may be illegal to do in some countries does NOT make it morally wrong. I should have the freedom to buy at retail and resell something that I've added value to. Just because Sony doesn't like it doesn't make it morally wrong. Just because the UK made it illegal doesn't make it wrong.
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Sony
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Sony
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I DON'T BUY THEIR TV'S ANY MORE
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Sony Say Sure.... But..
Or is you buy copied Games and send the difference to Sony.
Come on... Biz is Biz.
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Do I smell Microsoft?
Sony seems to have trouble marketing its products to consumers. Maybe they need some more training. Sony is starting to remind me of this decade's Microsoft. First they may have copied one of Nintendo Wii's controller ideas, then they shoot themselves in the foot.
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How did we get on modding?
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Re: How did we get on modding?
In my opinion, Sony has just done the industry a large dis-favour.
Many people like to import crazy Japanese games, or like to import games that will not be released in their region. Thus creating a revenue stream for those companies that they otherwise don't have.
Now, with the demise of Lik-sang, the future of for instance Play-asia is at risk too, as well as your local import shop (insofar you have a games-importer nearby).
Which makes getting those crazy Japanese games harder, or perhaps impossible.
Which results in those companies getting cut off from a source of income.
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