Bartski
Gold Member

Company that told Sony "go ahead, sue us" pulls replacement PS5 plates from sale, says Sony threatened to sue them
The company that told Sony to "go ahead, sue us" has pulled replacement PlayStation 5 plates from sale after Sony threa…

"With the release of Darkplates, the unthinkable has happened," Dbrand said at the time. "We've taken Sony's monumental achievement in bad design... and fixed it. We can only assume that our prizes are in the mail."
Dbrand's plates contain a microscopic texture, as do the official PS5 plates, but it's slightly different to Sony's PlayStation face button design.
"When you look at this microscopic texture inside the Darkplates, what do you see?" Dbrand said in a section of its website subtitled "Totally legal".
"If your answer is 'a familiar-but-legally-distinct apocalyptic spin on the classic PlayStation button shapes,' you might be one of our lawyers."
"Go ahead, sue us," read the top of the website.
In a reddit post bemoaning the action from Sony, Dbrand said "Darkplates are dead".
In the cease and desist letter, which Dbrand has published online but not dated, lawyers representing Sony accuses the company of trademark and copyright infringement as well as counterfeiting.
The letter goes on to demand Dbrand pull all marketing, promotion and sales of Darkplates worldwide.
"If Dbrand refuses to cooperate in full with these demands," the letter continues, "or delays in responding to this letter, our client will be forced to take the actions it deems necessary to protect its valuable intellectual property rights."
Dbrand's expletive-packed reddit post takes issue with the action, and highlights Sony's complaint about the similarity between PS5 plates and the Darkplates design, even using Netflix hit show Squid Game to defend itself:
"... did you know that Sony believes our distinctive and original 'Illuminati Pyramid / Radiation Hazard / Skull & Crossbones / Angry Robot Head' symbols, engraved inside the Darkplates, infringe on their trademarked button shapes? How the fuck did Squid Game get away with it?"
However, Dbrand insisted it is only agreeing to the takedown "for now".
"While we strongly believe in the consumer's right to customise and modify their hardware with aftermarket components, your Darkplates are now a collector's item," Dbrand said.
"You know what they say - you either die a Darkplates owner, or you live long enough to see yourself become the scalper.
"In closing, fuck you and especially fuck Sony. Talk soon."
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