Sony staff defy policy on import PSPs - Dan Morelle News
PSP News by Ellie Gibson
While Sony's lawyers have been issuing Cease and Desist orders to UK online retailers who attempt to sell imported American and Japanese PlayStation Portables, the MD of one of the companies targeted claims that even Sony staff members have been buying import PSPs through his website - some of them using Sony company credit cards.
Speaking exclusively to our sister site GamesIndustry.biz, Dan Morelle, managing director of online store ElectricBirdLand, commented: "Sony suffers under the weight of its own bureaucracy and the fact that we're selling to divisions within Sony Europe is proof of the pudding.
"We're even selling to leading developers working on behalf of Sony such as Team 17, Criterion and Atari," he added.
ElectricBirdLand is contesting Sony's Cease and Desist order forcefully, this week issuing a stern statement which claims that Sony's legal argument is based upon the infringement of trademarks the company doesn't even own. EBL has so far refused to budge on the issue – with US and Japanese PSPs still on sale on the company's website. The full story can be found elsewhere on GamesIndustry.biz.
“The threat of legal action is not because Sony is concerned about the impact that small importers like us will have on its brand or sales – it’s simply because of their inability to implement something so vital to the success of its new product,” Morelle said in the statement.
“Looking at the bigger picture, Sony isn’t concerned about controlling small businesses importing a few units. The real story is about profit,” he claims.
Sony plans to launch the PlayStation Portable in Europe on September 1st, priced £179.
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Comments: 1-25 of 25 in total
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Is he allowed to reveal details such as these? I would have thought things like the Data Protection Act would've meant he was unable to say such things. I'm a bit suspicious of some of his claims. How does he know a card is a Sony company card? Surely all he sees is a long number along with a few details such as expiry date, security code...
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Derblington
03/06/05 @ 11:08
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@ Rauper - I'm crying with laughter here mate. That has tickled me no end.
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FairgroundTown
03/06/05 @ 11:21
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SFA_AOK is right. My other half is a departmental manager at Sony, and we can't see how they would know. The credit cards are standard-issue Barclaycards, registered to the holders home address. They might have used the delivery address, but Sony staff aren't allowed to have non-work-related item delivered to work - post-room staff have been told to check, and send the item back if it is not work-related, so the item would have to be delivered to home, in which case they wouldn't know...
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Derblington
03/06/05 @ 11:29
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Darkedge - it's not more profit because they retail for less abroad. It'll be the import retailer that make more money doing it this way, and that's what Sony don't like.
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I think Sony also have a bit of a "worry on" about gamers not buying them at release because they've imported them previously and then the sales not being as good being a deterrent to the more casual gamer.
Or maybe they're just moody that they won't be able to get regional sales which will make the PSP look like a lame duck? To my mind it matters not as anyone who wants one will have one already, so they don't lose sales as such overall it just skews the regional figures. They've already got the profit. |
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" How does he know a card is a Sony
company card? Surely all he sees is a long number along with a few details such as expiry date, security code... Or perhaps..duh..duh..DAH...the person emailing/phoning simply told them they were from Sony? It's not like Sony are MI6; you are actually allowed to tell people you work there. |
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I support importing PSP's entirely. But I've only just heard of this Dan Morelle in two news articles here at EG today, and I'm already sick of him. It's one thing to show issues, but another to be having endless male pmt about it. Shame there's not an "ignore" function for his name like there is for us comment posters.
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stormcr0wfleet
03/06/05 @ 23:16
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if sony are so bothered about europen gamers inporting psps.. they should shift there arses and release the europen unit at the same time as japan or the US.. not a whole year afterwards!.
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For goodness sake, when is the consumer going to get the full benefit of globalisation?
Sony don't want ppl to import the PSP as they want to sell the product for as much as possible in each market, so they can maximise their profit. This does not serve the consumer. It simply serves the company and its shareholders. This practice is clearly anti-competitive and should itself be outlawed. If Sony is so damn keen to protect its local franchise then I have two tips for them: 1. Release as simultaneously as possible in all markets. 2. Price the product locally so that importing is no longer economic. Then the consumer gets a good deal and we are all happy. But no, Sony you are a greedy corporate monster. /leaves shaking head in disgust |
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I'm not sure how they can quote us (Team17) to be honest -
and that's something I will follow up, since as a company we haven't bought any from this company on an official basis at all. Some of our staff *may* have done, but that would be for their own personal use - obviously we only use PSP development equipment supplied by SCEE themselves. We have got a few company PSP's kicking about the office, but these were obtained elsewhere* (purely for reference) including some which we picked up in the USA (at the recent E3). But to be honest, we always get hold of whatever console comes out, as soon as it comes out and aren't usually too fussy where we import it from. Martyn, Team17. *Liksang, actually. PS. Any PSP doubters; forget the doubts, it's a terrific piece of kit. |
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Any chance of some decent original games for this next generation, spadge? You know, like those excellent, original, highly playable (although not according to Amiga Power sometimes!) titles you used to make on the Amiga? The ones that weren't new editions of Worms?
No? Never mind, there's always PS5. |
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I'm pleased to say we're working on a variety of titles these days, although Worms is in the mix, it's not our sole output. There will be announcements in due course and you may also note that we're also doing the PSP edition of Lemmings for Sony.
SCEE's ambitions with PSP are very refreshing with regard to new ideas and we believe new opportunities exist, which is about time really. |
Comments: 1-25 of 25 in total
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