Video game companies are certainly no stranger to law suits, and now it's Sony's turn. A company is alleging that Sony has infringed on a patent which relates to a method for recording and producing information via optical disc. The PS3 is included in this suit.
To quote: In an August 20 court filing obtained by Edge, Orinda alleged that Sony infringed on patent number 5,438,560, which in broad terms describes methods for recording and reproducing information via optical disc.
Orinda also named as defendants subsidiaries Sony Electronics, Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Computer Entertainment America.
Orinda has demanded a jury trial, and is seeking an injunction on manufacturing, sales and distribution of Blu-ray devices such as the PS3, computer peripheral products and dedicated Blu-ray players.
The plaintiff is also asking for "a reasonable royalty."
"Orinda has been and will continue to be damaged as a result of... More »
It's unclear if the FTC's now closed investigation was the only thing holding Electronic Arts and Take-Two back from entering into negotiations, but regardless of that, an SEC filing made yesterday by EA has confirmed that the two companies have entered into a confidentiality agreement where Take-Two will reveal their three-year product plans, according to Reuters.
As a result, no further details on the negotiations will be revealed publicly unless the two decide to either end their discussions or formalize a deal.
From the filing: "The terms of the confidentiality agreement prohibit each of EA and Take-Two from, among other things, publicly disclosing the status or terms of any discussions or negotiations between EA and Take-Two unless EA or Take-Two notifies the other that it is terminating discussions.
As a result, EA does not intend to make any further announcements regarding the status of any discussions or negotiations with Take-Two unless... More »
An FCC listing has confirmed that Sony is indeed working on the eternally-rumored PSP-3000. There are no details yet, as Sony has made a request for confidentiality regarding the particulars of the unit. However, this does add merit to the authenticity of the previously leaked photos.
The new PSP-3001 model (03g PSP) has been submitted to the FCC (linked above) for testing, which means the new PSP-300x model is likely to hit retail shelves soon. Though there have been plenty of clues thus far, from unused NIDs referencing new hardware devices, a reference to a “03g” model in the IPL, that “3000″ graphic on the official Sony site, and most recently, the alleged pics of a prototype.
Now it’s just a matter of waiting for the official announcement and the official list of changes. Hopefully some of the rumors that have been floating around turn out to be true (the hard disk drive comes to mind).
With the new PSP-2000 TA-088v3 model that is... More »
A new PlayStation 3 console was approved by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission last week, according to the agency's online filings database.
No information on the new model, number CECHL01, is available at present from the filing because Sony was granted short-term confidentiality on the papers but it is likely the 80G-byte version announced earlier this month during the E3 games show in Los Angeles. The console is due on sale in the next couple of months and will replace the current 40G-byte model.
Sony's filing to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission was made because the FCC is the radio regulator in the U.S. and as such all new products that use radio must be submitted to the organization for approval before they can be sold.
Industry giant and evil overlord Electronic Arts reported this morning that it had finished its wheeling and dealing with the Federal Trade Commission concerning the takeover of Take Two Interactive.
In its regulatory filing, EA said it would not go through with the previously offered $2 billion deal (because Take Two rejected it), and would instead return to the table, presumably with hired goons, no sooner than August 21 of this year. The news apparently convinced some people that this deal will happen, as stock prices rose for both companies. We have just experienced the beginning of the end.
The average gamer knows this to be true. It was a sad day when EA acquired BioWare, and that’s just one developer. Take Two represents one of the four legs (along with EA, Ubisoft, and ActiBlizzion) that holds up the bed of videogames that we all sleep in. Combining two of those legs into one will certainly make the bed unstable, and we will most likely not have... More »
Per Master X of HighDefDigest, according to an ad circular from retailer K-Mart for the week beginning July 6 the Xbox 360 Premium will carry a price point of $299.99, a $50 reduction compared to the current MSRP of $349.99.
Sounds like a smart move, especially since this would go into effect the week before E3. It’s unknown at this point if the Core and Elite models will receive a similar price cut as well, but I don’t see why not.
If Microsoft cuts off only $20 from the Core model, it’ll effectively match the price point of the Wii.
Obviously, Microsoft has yet to officially announce any price cuts, so we’re filing this under rumor for now, but expect official word soon.
The Florida Bar has called for infamous anti-games lawyer Jack Thompson to be disbarred and prohibited from applying to practice law for the next 10 years.
Judge Dava Tunis noted that the recommendations will be included in the official report to the Florida Supreme Court, due by September 2.
Thompson walked out of the courtroom after hearing the news, but not before filing a 4,500-word formal objection. Phoenix Wright, he ain't.
Thompson claimed that Tunis's first state loyalty oath was forged and the next two did not conform to the state regulations. Because of this, he's pushing for Tunis to be removed.
"I have fashioned a legal millstone that I will place around your neck and the neck of The Bar," he wrote. "Don't blame me, Referee Tunis, when you feel the water rising."
Senator Obama and Senator Clinton have also warned people of the danger of the Grand Theft Auto series, according to Thompson.
According to Jim Cordeira over at Gaming-Age, the long-awaited Firmware 2.4 update for PlayStation 3 will hit later this summer, complete with a universal friends list and In-Game XMB functionality.
While Sony has yet to comment, it's no secret that a major firmware release is due out soon. Back in March, SCEE UK head Ray Maguire made mention of 2.4, but did not provide specifics - aside from confirming that the update would hit in the summer and include “In-Game communication.”
An EA employee who goes by the alias of “evilone” on NeoGAF gave credence to Jim’s report, noting that “there is more then just In-Game XMB coming in 2.40.”
Until it's release, we're still filing this as a rumor, but there is a good chance it's legit... time will tell for sure.
(4) 
