Sony says it's just another case of "sour grapes"

In the continuing saga of David and Goliath, Sony is denying any responsibility for the closure of Hong Kong-based e-tailer Lik-Sang.

Sony issued a statement to GamesIndustry.biz confirming its successful legal action against Lik-Sang, but denies that it had any direct effect on the website shutdown.

"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," the statement claims.

"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."

Sony also responded to the Lik-Sang's claim that SCEE employees, which were named in Lik-Sang's shutdown notice, participated in importing Japanese PSPs into Europe well before they were available in the territory.

Sony responded, "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."

The saga began last week when the UK High Court ruled that Lik-Sang's importation of Japanese PSPs to the UK and European Economic Area as illegal. The ruling could potentially set a precedent that would apply to all parties involved in importing a PlayStation 3 to Europe.