Dbrand declares its PS5 Darkplates 'are dead after Sony threatens legal action

Date:
Sat, 16 Oct 2021 10:36:39 +0000

Description:
Dbrand has stopped selling its PS5 faceplates following contact from Sony Interactive Entertainment.

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Earlier this year, Canadian company dbrand started selling matte black faceplates for Sonys PS5 console, calling them Darkplates. Now, dbrand has announced its pulling Darkplates from sale after receiving a cease and desist letter from Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Dbrand made the announcement in a post on its subreddit , inviting Redditors to visit the product page which no longer offers the Darkplates for sale. Through the rest of the post, dbrand quotes the cease and desist letter highlighting that Sony takes issue with the way the Darkplates replicate
[Sony Interactive Entertainment]s protected product design as well as dbrands version of the PlayStation button icons engraved inside the plates.

The letter closes with Sony asking that dbrand promptly and permanently cease and take down all marketing and promotion for and cease all sales worldwide
of faceplates featuring the product configuration of SIEs PS5 faceplates or any similar product configuration, including without limitation all
faceplates currently for sale at dbrand.com. Dbrand also says in the post
that a couple of months from that original Cease & Desist it has been advised by Sonys legal team that a patent had been issued in Canada which purports to cover the shape of the PlayStation 5's side panels. Where to buy PS5 : all
the latest restock updates Read our in-depth PS5 review PS5 vs PS5 Digital Edition : which console should you choose?

It probably doesn't come as a huge shock that Sony has sent this cease and desist letter. Back in October 2020 another company attempted to sell PS5 faceplates before its operation was swiftly shut down . In fact, when dbrand itself announced its line of Darkplates back in February, it was pretty forward in inviting legal action with the slogan "Go ahead, sue us."

Dbrand wraps up its post by saying that its complying with Sonys request, though it adds for now in bold, suggesting this might not be the last we hear of it. Analysis: The appeal of replacement plates

With its size and bright white casing, theres no denying the PS5 has a tendency to stand out in an entertainment center. While there are plenty of PS5 owners who love that aspect of the console, for those who dont, swapping its plates is an easy route to happiness. And easy really is the operative word hereinstructions on how to remove the faceplates of the PS5 can be found in Sonys own teardown video of the console. TechRadars own John McCann tried replacing the plates on his PS5 and found the whole process pretty simple.

The ease with which it can be done has led many to believe that Sony has
plans to release official faceplates of its own. Sonys recent announcement of two new DualSense colors (Cosmic Red and Midnight Black) and a Midnight Black Pulse 3D Wireless Headset show its not averse to a pop of colour this generation. Even last generation it released a line of official PS4 custom faceplates. With all that in mind, an official line of PS5 faceplates doesnt seem totally outlandish. In fact, dbrand itself speculates in its Reddit post that first-party faceplates could be Sonys next step. But Sony itself hasnt said a thing and we cant know for sure until something official is confirmed.

Naturally, though, worrying about the ability to make changes to a PS5 is a luxury reserved for those whove actually been able to get their hands on one. Stock is still fairly hard to come by amid ongoing shortages but were regularly tracking retailer stock at TechRadar. Readers in the US still on
the lookout for a console can follow our dedicated PS5 restock tracker as
well as TechRadar's US Editor-in-Chief Matt Swider , who has had plenty of success in helping people secure consoles. Sony's giving you the chance to
buy a PS5 ahead of Black Friday 2021



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/dbrand-declares-its-ps5-darkplates-are-dead-aft er-sony-threatens-legal-action/


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