I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it - Mae West
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LG accuses Sony of patent infringements
KOREAN MANUFACTURER LG Electronics has filed lawsuits over alleged patent infringements in Sony's Playstation 3 console and Bravia TVs.
LG has filed two cease and desist requests with the US International Trade Commisson (ITC) over alleged patent infringements by Sony. LG is claiming that the Japanese technology giant has infringed its patents on Blu-ray drive technology in the PS3 and in digital TV technology in Internet connected Bravia TVs.
There are four patents at issue (PDF) for the Playstation 3. Patent '835 relates to managing data streams, '080 is a method for reproducing data, '961 is a storage patent for reproducing data, and '398 is a text subtitle steam.
Only a couple of days after filing that claim, LG fired off another patent complaint (PDF), alleging infringements by Sony's digital TVs and citing four more patents. Patent '906 relates to processing web content, '306 is demodulation technology to get better reception and '071 refers to a circuit for error-correcting, while Patent '711 covers a data processor for multi-level symbols. LG alleges that Sony's KDL-46HX800 and KDL-32EX500 Bravia TVs infringe all of them.
If Sony is found to be infringing LG's patents, the ITC could uphold LG's request, but it's more likely that both parties will agree to out of court settlements.
However, some might say that Sony's hypocrisy is showing. The company is currently on an aggressive campaign to have anyone who hacks its PS3 games consoles hauled into the US courts for copyright infringement and Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) violations.
In January Sony had a restraining order granted against renowned hacker Geohot, real name George Hotz, for jailbreaking PS3 firmware. Just a couple of days later it sent a DMCA takedown notice to Github, a popular web-based hosting service that posted the PS3 firmware hack. µ
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Thanks, Morely...I will make sure I do not copy down that Sony-DRM-breaking code.
However, I would not buy any Sony or LG products myself. Sony is on a rampage to persecute its own customers (bet they will never make the mistake of buying a Sony product again!). Sony is also being investigated for disabling the PS3 from running Linux. Creeps.
LG, on the other hand, refuses to allow cell providers to exchange its phones (at least in Canada)if they are defective. You have to send your phone back (multiple times, I might add) to LG for "repairs" and do without a phone (and then receive the same phone with the same problem - or another "refurbished" one with another problem - back from some teenage kid in the "LG repair center" who does not know what he/she is doing).
I say, let the two of these companies fight it out and try to make money off of each other by lawsuits, because they are not getting any (more) money off of me.
The code Sony doesn't want spread about is 46 DC EA D3 17 FE 45 D8 09 23 EB 97 E4 95 64 10 D4 CD B2 C2