Patents are a mechanism for protecting intellectual property, both for that which already has an application in the real world and for that which has not yet been implemented in a product, but which has a clear technical basis and is perfectly defined. For Sony, in addition, are another marketing tool with which to belittle their rivals.
Florian Muller, a expert in patent analysis for more than 20 years and head of Foss Patents, has published an interesting article detailing some of the most important patents that Sony has registered since 2011 in the world of game consoles, and in it he explains the malpractice that the Japanese company has been displaying.
In these patents, Sony has always referred to its rivals, and to their products, as “inferior.” The attached image is a clear example, in it we can read that in the text of that patent the company refers to a final device for the user as “a personal computer, an entertainment system, such as a PlayStation 2 or PlayStation 3, or an entertainment system from a different but inferior manufacturer’.
Mueller’s opinion regarding this type of behavior is very critical, and I personally agree with him for several reasons. On the other hand, the role that Sony has been playing in recent years, and the face that this company is showing to try to stop the purchase of Activision Blizzard, They’re not doing their image any favours.
Trying to show yourself as the underdog when you’ve led the console market for the last four generations is something unethical, and resorting to arguments where you show a marked contempt for your rivals is to have a very lax morality. I’m sure our regular readers will remember when Sony said that Microsoft wanted to turn it into another Nintendo, although in the end karma has taught them a bit of a lesson with Nintendo Switch sales surpassing PS4’s.
I think that Sony has been losing the north a bit, and that she herself has placed herself in a difficult situation facing the general public for his inappropriate comments and for displaying a marked hypocrisy that, in the end, will end up taking its toll. Nintendo, which has been in the crosshairs of Sony, has been able to play its cards much better in the industry, has recovered from difficult situations and is doing what it does best, creating unique games and trying to innovate.
