Who remembers Lik-sang?

[KruzeS]

Yeah, shame you neglected this part of the Wikipedia article you've just quoted:

"After these suits, Lik-Sang began expanding its area of expertise by reinventing itself (under a new owner) as a vendor of legitimate, but obscure, accessories, such as consumer electronics, games, merchandise, and t-shirts."

The Nintendo suit in 2002, mentioned in the 2003 gamesindustry.biz article is the one about modchips, et all. The 2006 article is about "grey importing", which is a totally different matter. So no, there sure is more to say on this story than what you've cleverly tried to make us believe.

What's on LikSang.com is about the imports suit, not the much older modchips suite. Importing may be illegal, as may modchips, but that's nowhere nearly as consensual or clear cut. And you better know what exactly is it that's illegal, before making those comments, because unauthorized importing not illegal per si as Sony wants to make you believe. What's illegal is, for instance, selling stuff in Europe without offering a 2-year warranty, as no consumer electronics equipment can be sold in Europe without at least a 2-year warranty. What's illegal is for a significant exporter to Europe not to abide to the likely stricter European safety regulations. And if on the one hand it's good that there's this level of consumer protection in Europe, on the other it significantly limits perfectly legitimate businesses like import shops. Because there are a ton of perfectly legitimate import shops, despite what Sony wants you to believe in. Import DVDs are sold on reputable stores like FNACs every god damn day. It's certainly not any different for videogames.

And if you're to believe Lik-Sang, SCEE did order a bunch of PSPs for their directors the day the PSP launched in Japan. You know what's Sony's answer to these claims? That the "purchasing of PSP consoles by SCE employees", like the managing, marketing, creative and development directors of SCEE, "would be for investigatory purposes". I like it how the marketing and creative directors purchase import consoles by name come launch day to investigate just how illegal they are.