Plasseraud IP secures victory for Subsonic against Sony

JUVE Patent, the German publication that has become a reference in the legal world and dedicated to patent law in Europe, reports in an article the victory of Plasseraud IP in the patent infringement dispute between Subsonic and Sony.
 
In January 2017, three companies belonging to the Sony group - a Japanese multinational company active in the fields of electronics, telephony, computers, music, cinema, audiovisual but also in the video game industry, known in particular for its PlayStation game consoles - summoned before the Paris High Court, Subsonic - a French company founded in 2008 that markets gaming accessories and furniture in France and Europe, including controllers compatible with PlayStation game consoles - for infringement of several patent claims relating to controllers, inter alia.
 
In its decision of September 9, 2022, the Paris Court of Appeal confirms the inadmissibility of the Sony companies’ action, and orders them to pay the sum of 100,000 euros to Subsonic.
 
The judges held that the formalities of registration in the National Patent Register (RNB) of the INPI (National Institute of Industrial Property) of the transfer of the said patents EP 212, EP 338 and EP 974 were only completed on August 13, 2018, i.e. over 18 months after the issuance of the summons before the court.
 
The claim for infringement brought by Sony, the assignee of the industrial property right, is therefore not admissible since the legal act transferring the right has not been registered in the relevant national register.
 
Jean-Christophe Guerrini explains : "This case emphasises the fact that it is crucial that contracts for the transfer of intellectual property rights be registered in a timely manner in the National Patent Register.”
 
This victory testifies, once again, to the excellent capacity of the Plasseraud IP group’s ability to accompany our clients by combining the skills of our lawyers and IP attorneys, essential in this type of litigation.

Jean-Christophe Guerrini, Partner at Plasseraud Avocats, and Raphaël Fleurance, Partner and Head of the Lyon office, have accompanied Subsonic throughout all stages of this dispute.

To read the article : JUVE Patent – 4 octobre 2022 - “Subsonic and Plasseraud defeat Sony in litigation over PlayStation controllers”