Sony has threatened trouble for companies that sold custom side panels for Playstation 5. Now Sony has been guaranteed a patent on the design of these panels so that no one else can sell them.
When Sony created the PS5 game console, they took the design choice to make the side panels interchangeable. Something that opens up for users to change the look of their game console to better suit their liking. A company that, among other things, DBrand was quick to design and start selling.
However, Sony was almost as quick to threaten with potential legal consequences if these sales were not completed. The console maker believed that only Sony had the right to design and sell this type of product. Despite the fact that no patent had been obtained on these occasions.
Now, 376 days after the patent application was first filed, the US Patent Office has approved Sony’s request to obtain a patent for the PS5 panels. This will be valid for a period of 15 years, giving Sony the exclusive right to design and sell these panels. However, it is possible that you will sell licenses to companies such as DBrand if they wish to sell self-designed panels. However, this is not something Sony has started with at the time of writing.
It also remains to be seen if Sony will do something special now that it is the sole player in the market for specially designed PS5 panels. Many hope that the company will start offering black panels for those who want an all-black game console. Something that does not sound completely impossible as the company has previously launched black editions of both its DualSense controllers and its Pulse headset.
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