Is Sony Really Ordered to Stop Selling Playstation Gaming Consoles in the US?

It’s in the news that Sony has been ordered this week by a US court to stop selling its PlayStation game consoles in the American market and to pay around £48 million in damages to technology company Immersion.

Immersion, a California-based developer of digital touch products, claimed that Sony infringed on their technology that makes game controllers vibrate simultaneously with the actions in gaming consoles. But Sony’s gaming division, Sony Computer Entertainment, quickly responded and said it would appeal this decision by a California federal court in the patent infringement case.

For now, Sony will keep selling PlayStations, which covers the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 consoles, two game controllers and 47 software titles, while they take the order on appeal. Sony is said to be paying compulsory license fees to Immersion.

The Gaming Division has been Sony’s profit driver in recent years, gaining around 44 per cent of Sony’s operating profits in last year. Sony has been struggling in its bottom line with dropping prices of its electronics division from stiff competition and declining market share.

The amount ordered to be paid by Sony is more than triple Immersion’s total revenues in 2004 and confirmed a ruling by a California jury last year that ordered Sony to pay around the same amount.

What would you do if Sony is stopped from selling its Playstations? I am sure you will not be happy about it like me.