R.I.P. Lik-Sang
By Shay • Nov 1st, 2006 • Category: China, internet, news, video games
Well, it’s official…popular online game retailer Lik-Sang.com is out of business. The Hong Kong-based video game site was forced to shut its web-doors after multiple lawsuits. The lawsuits were brought by Sony, specifically Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The grounds of the lawsuit were that Lik-Sang infringed on Sony’s copyrights “by selling Sony PSP consoles from Asia to European customers”. The High Court of Londan, England judged in Sony’s favor.
Sony claims that the lawsuit is in the best interest of its European customers — that safety and warranty are their key concern. Lik-Sang rebutts by pointing out that all PSPs conform to EU and UK safety standards.
This news comes as a shock to me and I am deeply upset. Lik-Sang was a great site that had tons of great and rare gaming products. It was a go-to source for buying import games and more. I even had an affiliate account there (you may have seen some of their ads on SP a while back).
Lik-Sang says it best:
“Blame it on Sony. That’s the latest dark spot in their shameful track record as gaming industry leader. The Empire finally ‘won’, few dominating retailers from the UK probably will rejoice the news, but everybody else in the gaming world lost something today.”
If import PSPs are today, what’s tomorrow? Which one of our favorite import sites will fall next? I’m by no means a legal expert but why did Sony have to go all the way and get Lik-Sang to shut down?…couldn’t they have just got them to stop selling PSPs to European consumers? Their motives are greater than that.
What can you do?
If this news upsets you as much as it does me (a huge consumer of import goods), you can start by not supporting Sony. You can also support other import vendors like Lik-Sang. Me? I had no real intention on supporting Sony in the future anyway. I’ve used to consider myself a Sony fan until I heard how outrageously high-priced the PS3 is. Buy a Wii or a DS.
Shay is eating Yen and Won for breakfast.
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Doesn’t it just suck?! I mean, its not just PlayStation 1/2/3/P they were selling (or games consoles, for that matter), they had some great Japanese game accessories, games, toys, and misc.! Not that it bothers me right now since I’m in Tokyo anyway, but sooner or later, I won’t be here and will need to rely on good importers…
I now refuse to buy a PSP, I’m in love with my DS but it doesn’t have all the games I want……….but I will go without if just to deny Sony just one penny!
I will miss Lik-sang soo much, Sony have totally alienated the people who made it sucessful…….the serious gamers who supported Sony so they could be in the position they are now. Imports are NOT piracy, they are not unsafe. Who has heard of someone being stupid enough to pay a large amount of money including customs fees and then use a power convertor that would risk their investment……..if there is a damn fire risk it comes only from Sony’s computer batteries!
Screw you Sony! I am fed up of being treated like crap. The UK only gets games if they succeed on the US market and then they get delayed by years or more often are cancelled. This is the final straw, I am not interested in the small range of games which you know will sell to kiddies by the truckload to make a quick profit for you, while epic RPG’s, adventure games, puzzle games and the such which are seen as “not profitable” are never released. So I try and import, and now you stop my favourite method to do so?
It’s called biting the hand that feeds…..and I have fed you enough Sony-kun. No more!
Eddie: Indeed it does suck! Lik-Sang gave us some great only-available-in-Japan collectibles…that was probably my favorite thing.
kagayaki: You said it better than me. =P It’s exactly biting the hand that feeds and Sony has officially lost touch (I knew that with the PS3 price, but this solidifies it). Their policy sounds like a screw job on UK gamers and this is even worse. I remember the good ol’ days, PS1…”RPG’s, adventure games, puzzle games”, like you said. Now I’m sad. :(
“I’ve used to consider myself a Sony fan…”
Yea, me too. But now see what they’re did to a small company. And it’s a company base in my hometown! What is SONY doing!? They used to be my favorite… PS, PS2, TVs, VAIO, Sony Ericsson, whatever, etc. Now, they’re just kept disappointing me again and again. :-(