Just when we all thought Lik-Sang has hit rockbottom, here comes yet another blow to their already severely damaged company. After causing the online retail company to close down because of the multiple lawsuits filed against them, Sony is actually demanding the payment of £ 100,000 (US$ 188,000) in legal fees by November 1st.

This news stirred up mix reactions, with some people saying Sony deserves to get it, while some would say that there's just no sense kicking somebody when he's already down. Says Pascal Clarysse, Lik-Sang's marketing director, "Sony should be proud of having such a die-hard import gamers community rushing to buy their products and supporting them with a passion. Instead, they march all over us."

As for Lik-Sang's allegation that four of the top executives of Sony Europe actually got their own PSPs via Lik-Sang just a few days after the Japanese launch, well, it's just safe to surmise that was pretty embarrassing for them. However, Sony in Tokyo declined to comment on the issue, citing the reason that they have this no-comment policy on pending or completed legal action.

Ironic, though, is Sony's revision of shipment forecasts for PSP from 12 million units down to 9 million units supposedly because of a decline in demand for the handheld, just when they succeeded in closing down an unauthorized sales channel to patrons from Europe.

In light of previous events, the whole Lik-Sang vs. Sony intellectual property rights case has now escalated to the point wherein the said distributor of Asian electronics has eventually closed its doors.

Statements are flying left and right from Lik-Sang and from Sony. And now, every Tom, Dick, and Harry is wondering: where's all of this taking us? Should we take sides now? Where do we get our PS3s come launch date? What really happened? Lik-Sang's marketing manager Pascal Clarysse now follows up their statement from last October 22, and tries to set things straight.

The statement talks about what hardships they had to go through, with a bombardment of lawsuits "forcing the relatively small company behind Lik-Sang.com into a bizarre world of lawyers." There's also an update about the said Sony officials that were reputed to have purchased orders from Lik-Sang.

It seems as if this issue is far from settled. Although Lik-Sang is now no more, their memory and what they stood for is still very much alive in a lot of gamers. The battle might have been won, but the proverbial war isn't quite over yet.

Now, before you take up your pitchforks and torches, better click the "Full Article" link below and read Pascal Clarysse's statement first.

Ewan Spence feels your pain, he shares it, because it is his pain, too. He's come to tell us that The PSP Show #22 is dedicated to the memory of Lik-Sang, a eulogy of all that it had done for the consumers - and the ironic advantages they gave to Sony. But of course, it doesn't end there. To answer the faint cry of "What do we do now? Where do we go from here?" Ewan offers us two suggestions, all with one intent: time for Sony to know that we, the consumer, are upset.

I recall, in my journeys through QJ comments and forums, that when similar suggestions have been raised, many of you have countered, "So why would a megacorp like Sony listen to us when it can easily afford to ignore us?" True enough, but I personally can counter that with something I read this in a forum sig (not the QJ forums, though): "Destiny is just a lame excuse to let things happen."

Ewan admits his first idea is frivolous - to just buy the PS3 console (and nothing but) and resell it somewhere else. I'll leave it to him to explain. It's the second one that's more probable, even if it is a long-shot: a letter-writing campaign. Nothing profane though: Ewan advises that we write a polite letter to Sony to tell them why we think they made the wrong move with Lik-Sang.

It may not hit Sony at the bottom line - not yet, anyway - but it might warn them that the mood in the air is decidedly against them. And economic analysts everywhere agree: Sony can't afford that. Hear Ewan out. It's a long shot, sure, but destiny's just a lame excuse, too. Thanks for telling us about this podcast, Ewan. Thanks for reminding us we've still got a voice.

(Names and addresses to write to provided in the podcast and at The PSP Show's website)

Listen: [The PSP Show feed]

Earlier today, Lik-Sang announced that it's closing its doors after losing an IPR lawsuit laid against the company by Sony. Along with the announcement, Lik-Sang also released a statement, which included a juicy little tidbit that listed a veritable who's who of SCEE execs who bought PSP hardware and software from Lik-Sang. Now, we've gotten word that Sony is crying foul and has denied any responsibility for the online retailer's demise, accusing Lik-Sang of sour graping.

In a statement issued to GamesIndustry.biz, Sony claimed, "Lik-Sang did not contest this case (i.e. they did not turn up and therefore incurred no legal costs). We have been awarded substantial costs against Lik-Sang which have not been paid."

"We would therefore strongly deny that our actions have had anything to do with this website closing (we assume the legal entity is still trading), and would suggest that this release is sour grapes on behalf of Lik-Sang which is aimed to belittle Sony Computer Entertainment and the British judicial system that found against them," the statement further reads.

Regarding the issue of SCE executives purchasing imported PSP hardware and software from Lik-Sang, Sony responded by saying, "The purchasing of PSP consoles by SCE employees would be for investigatory purposes. We would also like to express our surprise at a company releasing personal information about its consumers, as this is contrary to data protection principles around the world."

While Sony seems to be taking the higher ground in this post-courtroom battle of words, Lik-Sang has yet to respond or reveal more about the alleged business deals that the company had with SCEE execs. Lik-Sang is also currently working overtime on cancelling and refunding all of the existing orders that they have in their books.

Thanks lauwens for the heads up!

Because of multiple lawsuits filed by Sony, Hong Kong gaming retailer Lik-Sang finally succumbed and bid the industry goodbye. As of today, Lik-Sang is no longer operational, following the ruling of the High Court of London regarding the retailer's sale of PSP consoles. According to the decision, Lik-Sang's act was unlawful as it infringed on Sony's trademarks, copyright, and registered design rights by engaging in gray importation.

The main stand of Sony, through a spokesperson's statement to Gamesindustry.biz recently, was that they ultimately had the customers' best interests at heart. They claim that it would be to the disadvantage of the consumer if they were sold hardware that fails to conform to strict EU or UK consumer safety standards.

Lik-Sang, however, vehemently disagrees with Sony's claims, citing that the PSP consoles that they ship contain genuine Sony 100V-240V AC Adapters, which carry CE and other safety marks, compatible worldwide. Furthermore, all the handhelds did actually conform with all EU and UK consumer safety regulations. Therefore, the necessity issue for consumer-protection raised by Sony was non-existent at best.

Lik-Sang also points out the irony that while Sony was berating them for supposedly infringing on their rights, they conveniently failed to disclose to the High Court of London that Sony Europe's very own top directors allegedly received their PSP hard or software imports from Lik-Sang, starting just two days after it officially came out in Japan, complete with accompanying free Lik-Sang merchandise, like mugs or badge holders.

SCEE Managing Director, Ray Maguire, UK Marketing Director Alan Duncan, Chris Sorrell, SCEE Creative Director, and Rob Parkin, SCEE Development Director, are just a few of the names who were found to have placed PSP-related Sony Europe orders. Nine months later, Lik-Sang found itself facing a lawsuit from the company of these former customers.

Former Marketing Manager of Lik-Sang.com, Pascal Clarysse, had some words to say about the issue. And you can expect it to be not pretty. Says he:

Today is Sony Europe victory about PSP, tomorrow is Sony Europe’s ongoing pressure about PlayStation 3. With this precedent set, next week could already be the stage for complaints from Sony America about the same thing, or from other console manufacturers about other consoles to other regions, or even from any publisher about any specific software title to any country they don’t see fit. It’s the beginning of the end... of the World as we know it.

So what happens now to those existing placement orders?

Lik-Sang will be cancelling and refunding all existing orders. They are also now working closely with banks and PayPal to work out the refund of any store credits held by the company. Their customer support department is also working double time to cater to any open transactions, like pending RMAs or repairs and shipping related matters. They also would like to reassure their patrons that they will make sure nobody gets in the line of fire unnecessarily regarding this issue.

And like receiving news that a good friend just passed away, there's nothing more left to say.

Okay, remember Lik-Sang? The guys who let you pre-order PS3’s for no downpayment? Well, Judge Michael Fysh has recently ruled against Hong Kong-based Lik-Sang in a case brought by Sony to the High Court. In his ruling Judge Fysh said, "The acts of which the complaint is made have, in my view, been perpetrated not in Hong Kong but here in the EEA, and without Sony's consent."

Lik-sang objects to this in an official statement saying that "Hong Kong's laws are clear when it comes to parallel trade, and the company has no ties whatsoever with the UK." The statement also says that Sony intends to obtain a UK injunction against Lik-Sang to prevent the company selling products to consumers in the EEA, and that the platform holder has "threatened to initiate yet another lawsuit to prevent the sales of PlayStation 3 consoles to Europe".

Lik-Sang Marketing manager Pascal Clarysse says that having to fight multiple lawsuits in multiple countries at the same time and having to pay high premiums for lawyers is a very daunting situation for a small company like Lik-Sang. He adds that the act of having multiple court actions with separate claims and different judges is something that is a bit redundant.

Basically, Clarysse says that Sony’s actions are "unnecessary, except for the fact that it helps reaching one single target: outspend Lik-Sang to death." The Marketing manager goes on to say that he believes that the sale of import PSPs is something that is not causing Sony to suffer losses and damages.

Lik-Sang is currently exploring its legal options.

Let this be a lesson for those who intend to import Sony handhelds and consoles into the UK or European Economic Area (EEA) without the express consent of Sony. Online Asian electronics distributor Lik-Sang was found to be in breach of intellectual property rights for offering Japanese PSPs to European consumers.

The justification of Lik-Sang was that its operation was well within the boundaries of law as the company is based in Hong Kong, and does not physically have a trading presence in the EEA or UK. However, presiding Judge Michael Fysh held for plaintiff Sony, finding that, " The acts of which the complainant is made have, in my view, been perpetrated not in Hong Kong but here in the EEA, and without Sony's consent."

While Sony kept mum about the case, a company spokesperson did tell G.I.biz that they will not hesitate to fully utilize the protection granted to them by law with regard to the issue of grey importing. More than just the sale of their consoles and handhelds, what they are ultimately protecting is the consumers. They don't want people to be getting hardware that did not pass the strict EU or UK consumer safety standards. And there are, in fact, a lot of factors to consider, such as the voltage supply differences, the backwards compatibility of the softwares, and the warranty coverage.

The warning comes particularly strong in light of the upcoming release of the PlayStation 3 in the U. S. and Japan. They anticipate that European consumers would want to grab a hold of the next-gen consoles as soon as possible, given that the PAL release has been delayed for another four months.

Says Sony's unnamed spokesperson, "The law is clear; grey importing PS2, PSP or PS3 into the EU, without the express permission of SCE is illegal. Therefore, we will utilize the full scope of the law to put a stop to any retailers who chose to do this."

That's tough.

No matter who you are, where you're from, what you did...we're still under the same skies. Stars, nebulae, galaxies, eclipses, and auroras... These are all above our heads, and don't you just sometimes wished you knew more about them?

Homestar 21st Century Star Navigator is now available in Lik-Sang for US$ 34.90. Yes, it's still the Japanese version, but come. friccin'. on. people! These are stars we're looking at. Who needs any translation for that? Images speak a thousand words.

Yes, you might not understand the voice-overs, and all the text in the menu, therefore defeating the whole purpose of calling it a "galactic tour"... But still. Some of you might be hardcore about the heavens above so much so that you can't wait for the U.S. version (no clue yet if and when it's going to be released).

If you're willing to purchase the game, this is as good as it gets.

Oh!, and yeah. If you recognized the reference (read the first line again) to a Backstreet Boys song, snaps for you!

 

GameAndWatchAttack v1 is pspsalv2's Lua-coded entry to the QJ.net and Lik-Sang Summer Coding Competition. The game has  an unusual title but has quite an orthodox gameplay. You are the green frog-like character and you have to dodge the bullets of your evil twin (the red character) and fire back using the right shoulder button in order to kill your opponent and win the game.

The hard part of this game is that your evil twin fires yellow bullet-style things at you which in turn whittle away your health and in order for you to defeat him you have to use your clenched fist. To do this you have to jump to get close enough and then melee attack him to kill him. Of course, you should do all that before your health reaches zero. This game looks a lot easier than it is - give it a go! This game requires Lua Player to run.

We will release details of how the Summer Coding competition will progress once all of the entries have been released.

Download: [GameAndWatchAttack v1]

  

Another entry for our summer coding competition, in partnership with Lik-Sang, is the 2P Pong by homebrew developer, Spiderjames. You may already have an idea of what the game is just by reading its name. The ping pong game coded in LUA, definitely has a lot of room for improvement, but great things start from small beginnings anyway, so let's just hope that our summer coding competition could hone Spiderjames' craft more.

The game has been bogged down by issues such as the AI and sound not working, but it is still an exciting 2 player game. Why is that? The ball just goes faster and faster as you play along. With all these aptly stated, we wish Spiderjames the best of luck in this competition and in his future endeavors. Thank you for sharing your creation with us!

Later on, we would be compiling all the entries for you to have a better grasp of every entry. Also you should watch out for the opening of our polls to see which entry is the most popular among readers, feel free to participate in that. Lastly, you could also leave out your opinions, reactions and other what-nots in the comments section.

Download: [Summer Coding Competition: 2P Pong]