Sony Threatens to Sue Company That Goaded It to Sue Over Black PS5 Replacement Plates

F’ing lol😂 Fully deserved!

'Go ahead and sue us!'
Sony Threatens to sue
'Well I dont know what I was expecting...'

They asked for it.

Another thing to point out, Sony patented the design of the faceplates. Dbrand then took that patented design and started selling a version of it whilst saying go ahead and sue us. Then Dbrand gets sued and pulls the pickachu face. Honestly embarrassing the way they act.

Dbrand is stupid, rather than cooperatively make good plates with sony blessings, they asked sony to sue them? Lol

Even if dbrand could win this case, Sony can outlast them in court. Lots of major companies draw out cases for this kind of reason. Pretty moronic to goad a multi billion dollar company lol.

I find it kind of refreshing. How often do we complain about PR-speak and how fake it is. Dbrand come out launching f-bombs and tell us EXACTLY what they think, no hiding behind gobbledygook and spin, and rather than me act all righteous about it i think I'll enjoy the frankness.

Also their customer service is reported to be excellent so if that's the case they're ok by me.

As for their product, yeah its far too similar to get away with it whatever they think. Still, overall its got them noticed all over the websites so well played Dbrand.

@Lightning_FF13 probably because they'd hit them in the face. They were expecting the balls, that's what they'd paid for 😳

Good good! King Sony will crush them idiots like the peons they are!!!

So glad I pulled the trigger and bought these plates last month. So much nicer than the white ones.

Look, everyone wants a custom plate and whatnot but daring a large company like Sony to sue them is just plain dumb. They bit more than they chew with that statement and honestly, serves them right.

@kyleforrester87 We're going to absolutely ruin you Kyle.

@Boxmonkey Me too. They look awesome

These guys are very hard to feel sorry for. You’re really fighting the system to sell your cheap plastic.

@lolwhatno does this work in all scenarios?

Hey! Scarlett Johansson! Give me a kiss i dare you!!!

Meanwhile I plasti dip sprayed mine and then satin spray painted over the top of it last year. So I’ve got the PlayStation logo cut out on mine and can peel it off anytime I want

@kingbreww oh that's a good idea! I may do that. Paint it black and green like an Xbox, for the fun of it.

It’s absurd how many here are simply defending Sony blindly. I got a Ps5 and the first thing I did was buy me black Dbrand plates.

There are no PS logos on it, there is simply no copyright infringement going on here, and as DBrand noted: Sony has refused to name the patent in question that supposedly is in play.

The company dared to goad Sony because they knew where they stood. You should not be afraid of standing your legal ground against frivolous lawsuits.

@Tharsman I don’t know if it’s defending Sony as much as enjoying that little rush of endorphins that get released when something bad happens to terrible people.

@Amnesiac and why are they terrible? Because they stood their legal ground? If there is something known about these guys that has not been mentioned in the article, please share.

@Amnesiac why are they terrible people may I ask? They may like to use colourful language and present themselves more confrontationally than the usual, but I much prefer this level of frankness than the desultory, passive-aggresive PR language most firms use. As far as I'm concerned being offended comes under the category of 'tough titty'.

They're actually a decent company to deal with as a consumer.

That black ps5 looks so much more appealing to me than the white and a shame these can’t be bought now.

Have to say though I thought ps5 was gonna launch with official faceplates last year but that never happened obvs. I hope Sony either do release some or make different colour ps5’s…

@lolwhatno I know what you mean. This is not a professional way to present oneself. However I don't think it makes them bad people as some are saying here. People get offended far too easily, and too much weight gets given to that feeling of being offended. I'm liberal like that 😁

Edit: must.....give....you......vbucks.....can't....resist.....

hey Scarlett get off....im trying to give him some vbucks......ok....yes you can touch that.....

@Zag_Man I love you just for spelling tonne properly ❤

I really don't see any difference between this and the original PS4 face plates. Why did Sony allow third parties to make and sell those?

@__jamiie also there are plenty of companies that make and sell PS5 faceplates. Its more to do with the pattern than the plate itself.

@lolwhatno god....you know how you wish for something and then when you get it you wish you hadn't........she's so clingy......

....oh great...here come the tears.....ok...ok....I'm sorry....Ghost in the Shell was a good film ok?...

@lolwhatno depends on which side of the Atlantic you are on. In American it's ton. Over here it's tonne. It's an important distinction because the 2 are not the same amount in weight even though they are the same word, sort of. Anyway...PS seems to always spell it in American even though they're English 😊👍

@Zag_Man top man!! And what a wonderfully discerning lady your good wife is. Clearly not settling for anything less than excellence.

I love PlayStation but I’m #teamDbrand on this one. They offer something people want that Sony refuse to acknowledge.

If Sony weren’t so slow and clueless when it comes to demand for customization, they could have made a killing selling their own ‘official’ plates (probably at four times the price mind you - it is Sony after all).

I paid £100 (each) for custom Dualsense controllers for my Nephews Birthday’s and that’s money that could have been in Sonys pocket.

Even Microsoft do official custom controllers. Sony need a good shake where this is concerned.

Maybe they should spend less time suing and more time doing 👍

Anyone trying to improve the look of that hideous beast of a machine we know as the PS5 gets a vote from me 😁

Good thing I had pre-ordered my the moment they came available. The black look so much better, and I won't have to deal the yellowish tint that old white plastic gets in the future.

@Integrity What reads as frankness to you comes off as jerkiness to me, and I have a fairly low tolerance for that.

@Amnesiac that's fine, totally understand that you could see it differently. Doesn't make them terrible people though 👍

So petty. Totally unnecessary.

@fR_eeBritney Or they should've contacted Sony before selling something without their consent. That's just how it works.

@Integrity You’re right, I was hyperbolic, but I thought “jerkasses” might get me in hot water. Truly, I have no issue with them manufacturing and selling whatever they please, I just think they could be a bit more professional. Might help them to become a going concern rather than just being message board fodder.

@Boxmonkey I grabbed a set as well. They look awesome. Did you get the middle strip as well? (I did not)

I have these plates and they’re very very good, even happier I grabbed them when I could. Sony won’t be getting a penny off me for plates that’s for sure. I can’t believe people are cheering Sony for this 😂 people are crazy around here.

@Tharsman I like the little inscription on the inside, nice touch. The plates are as good if not better quality than the original ones I took off. Glad I got them too.

Kinda sad to see people not realize that Dbrand is a cocky company on purpose. Just look at they're Twitter, they're a-holes on purpose, none of your whining is gonna make them a nice company. At least they have good customer service compared to other companies lmao

It's not like Sony's losing money, Dbrand is selling an accessory for the PS5 that people already own. The fact that people are defending Sony is hilarious.

I got the darkplates in August and they're amazing. People should actually see Dbrand's side and read this reddit article they have.

@eagletrippin it's Dbrand. Their whole image is to be petty.

Edit: This comment wasn't meant to be criticism for Dbrand, just explaining how the company's public image is.

@B3TTS yeah I used the middle strip that came with the plates. The Matt finish looks better imo

@SlySnake0407 Thats free marketing that is!

It blows my mind Sony isn't selling custom plates.

@Tharsman

It's not JUST about the playstation icon symbols. The actual shape of the plates themselves are patented - says so in the rant they posted on reddit. The patent has something to do with the shape of the plates reducing the heat of the system.

It's a pretty blatant violation of patent law. The symbols inlaid into the plates seems debatable as far as whether thats a copyright violation though.

Their marketing department being run by millennials with the "go ahead, sue us" edgelord stuff doesn't really win them any sympathy from me in any case.

The reason Sony probably doesn't threaten any of the other plate manufacturers with lawsuits is probablly twofold: 1.) none of them have really made enough money to be worth a cease and desist letter, as they usually sell for around 15 bucks, as opposed to dbrands hefty 60-80 price tag, and 2.) Those companies didn't literally challenge a multi billion dollar company to sue them.

Like others have said, their marketing could use some work.

@HotGoomba

Not really a matter of defending Sony. I love to root for the little guy as much as anyone in cases like this. But patent and copyright law is a thing here in the West. And... the plate designs are patented. Its just as simple as that unfortunately.

@HotGoomba this is why big companies pretend to care about certain causes - because people actually think they do 🤣

I’m surprised Sony isn’t suing Netflix and the creators of Squid Game for using their shapes 🤣

That could explain why there isn’t a guard with an ‘X’ on his mask.

@fR_eeBritney

Yeah they bring up Squid Game in their reddit post. Which is pretty interesting... At the end of the day the plates are patented in Canada (dbrands home country). The overall shape and contours of the plastic are patented. The symbols are a different story. Sony patents everything they do, and a lot they never end up doing too...

You could make the argument sitting on patents like that is unethical but patent law is what it is.

@HotGoomba Huh? Wait, what? Who are you defending here, DBrand, or Sony? One sentence you're calling DBrand petty, the next you're saying it's hilarious that people are defending Sony.🤷
I'm saying that Sony are the petty ones. I'm not familiar with DBrand as a company, they are "little company X" as far as I'm concerned.

@fR_eeBritney

What I'm saying is the symbols have to do with trademark law. Then you have patents (inventions), which is a separate thing. The plate shapes are patented. There's no way around that. Pretty cut and dry. Sony could (and maybe should) look the other way though until they start selling their own.

Also, could you imagine them suing Squid Game for using Triangles and Circles? That would be nuts haha, considering those are universal shapes and that's a TV show that has nothing to do with Playstation.

Now Nintendo... Nintendo might actually attempt that lawsuit. They did after all successfully trademark "get it on like donkey kong". No joke. You can't use that phrase on television anymore without paying Nintendo or getting permission. Sigh...

@Octane I personally don’t see the issue. It’s not something Sony (currently) make or sell. And even if they did, so what?

They’ve already got a console sale out of it, why restrict people from customizing the consoles they’ve purchased?

Imagine if Apple suddenly said you can only buy phone cases from them (£45 a pop). I know it isn’t exactly the same but Sony are being proper spoil sports on this.

I mean, who trademarks a faceplate? Really.

@eagletrippin Bruh I was saying that Dbrand is petty on purpose, I wasn't going against them, I was explaining that that was their image on social media because they have a sense of dark humor. Thought your original comment was talking about Dbrand, my bad.

I agree that Sony is the petty ones. I've been following Dbrand for years so I know that they're like lol, but they're a legitimately good company.

It was like poking a bear with a stick. In the end it will show its claws before it rips you into little pieces.

@HotGoomba Gotcha. We are on the same page👍

For the people defending Sony, imagine if Apple threatened to sue any other third party who makes iPhone or iPad covers, you will be the first to attack Apple for that decision. The same applies here, Sony shouldn't be attacking anybody who is releasing accessories for the PS5

I taped the upper inside of my (horizontal) PS5 with black tape because the light was too exposed on my eyes. Sue me 😏

Notice how the PS5 has been out nearly a full calendar year and there are precisely ZERO officially licensed plate options either directly from Sony or any of their 3rd party peripheral partners? That's purposeful, they made the plates easily swappable, but don't actually want you do remove them because they designed that ugly behemoth to be the center of attention. The design of the PS5 is Sony telling you, explicitly, f**k your interior design, they don't care if their eyesore of a console stands out in your home. Ah, the many ways that good 'ol Sony hubris rears its ugly head...

Glad I got my darkplates when I did, and I hope this is just Dbrand going along with the C&D until they have their legal team look into what their options are.

@fR_eeBritney bringing up Squid Game is dbrand showing they don't understand trademark law. IANAL, but one of the big parts of potential trademark infringement is whether it'll cause confusion for the consumer. There's about a 0% chance of Sony entering the illegal play kids games for money or death market, but as dbrand even theorizes, there's a non-0 chance of them entering the customizing the PS5 faceplates market, which puts their symbols as more potentially confusingly similar to Sony's than Squid Game's. Whether dbrand's symbols are actually confusingly similar to Sony's, I'm not sure.

E.g. there exists very similar trademarks, but in different markets so they are not confusingly similar to consumers. Like Delta is used for both an airline and faucet company, and Best Buy is used for both an electronics and flooring company.

@UnlimitedSevens when you legally cite a patent, you are usually expected to state the patent number, something dbrand states Sony has continued to not provide.

Hello @Col_McCafferty ...I’ve been expecting you 🤣

Imagine how cool it would have been if Sony (instead of suing) announced that they were working on their own custom faceplates with exclusive designs available nowhere else. That’s what we all want. What we’re all waiting for.

Let Dbrand carry on selling their ‘unofficial’ plates. Sony aren’t threatened, they’re just glad people have supported PlayStation with their PS5 purchase... but no 🙄

Maybe they are planning on releasing their own faceplates? Well bloody tell us then!?! They really do have the worst communication with their user base.

Also imagine how cool it would be if Sony partnered with the Squid Game makers and released a commercial with the squid game guards playing on a PS5. The looser being ‘eliminated’ 😁 Something funny and relevant. We might have seen something like that 10-15 years ago but not now, sadly.

Sony really need to lighten up instead of being miserable party poopers.

If they don’t want people selling faceplates, offer an alternative. Don’t take away the only decent option currently available.

@Col_McCafferty Oh no, how dare people have different opinions than you and not like glossy plastic, or want to personalize their systems a little, boo-f**king-hoo!

But really, why are you so against people wanting to personalize their items? I bought Darkplates (and a white middle skin) not because I hated the original PS5 design, but because I wanted to make my PS5 look like an Oreo.

There's no reason to lash out at people for wanting to customize their $500 system.

Oh and also, @wiiware you're on the dbrand subreddit lol, kind of a crappy thing to make you look bad to the whole Dbrand community, even if I disagree with you:

https://www.reddit.com/r/dbrand/comments/qa3n1j/good_old_push_square_comments/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

Get them sony.thats all folks.word up son

‘It’s almost like’ they asked for it 😅

But I know I know. Sony bad 🙄
Move on console warriors.

I painted my faceplates green and drew Xbox logos on them but I still can't get Game Pass on it.

@JJ2 Funny enough, I saw nobody bring console wars into this until (ironically after you commented) ApostateMage made a joke referring to Xbox.

If anybody wants to buy the plates I bought, I’m now selling them for $2,000 on eBay.

Incredibly petty on Sony's part. They don't even have alternative or licensed third party plates out on the market. Imagine if they did something like Microsoft's controller design lab and allowed you to pay a premium to customize specialized PS5 faceplates.

Missed opportunity, IMO.

@HotGoomba Huh? What are you talking about, I'm not on reddit.

I do think it's stupid for dbrand to ask sony to sue them rather than contact them and ask their permission to make the plates.

Edit: Are dbrand copy and pasting my comment to their own subreddit? Wow that's petty, lol.

@wiiware What makes you think that it's Dbrand? Anyone can post on a subreddit, not just Dbrand.

Oh and, 1. Dbrand shouldn't have to ask in the first place for something that doesn't negativity impact Sony. Also HAHAHAHAHA do you actually think Sony would give Dbrand the permission to make plates?

2. The whole purposeful public image of Dbrand is to be brutally honest and edgy, of course they're gonna dare Sony to sue them, Dbrand is not the kind of company to pretend to be nice.
_{^{Funny enough they have some of the best customer support I've seen from a company in a while lol}}
You can look at their Twitter or my previous comments to learn more on how Dbrand's public image is purposefully like this.

there are countless (non dbrand) plates being sold on ebay right now and sony doesn't seem to have a problem with those. a 3rd party faceplate is no different than non OEM car parts. as a car owner, i have the right to purchase non OEM car parts should i wish to. why wouldn't this rule apply to gaming accessories? more options for the consumer the better. sony should have gotten off its ass by now and made its own faceplates — there was a demand to replace the ugly (default white plates) and the market provided a much requested alternative. dbrand did good work here and are being punished by another corportate bully.

@Tharsman its not that folks are taking sonys side here...its more the fact that d-brand have been arrogant and insulting (withdrawing the face plates because people are too f#$king stupid to install them) and then telling sony to go ahead and sue them...jesus really? You mess with the bull....

@HotGoomba
Haha. I didn’t mean anyone in particular. It was more a harmless joke. But we know it’s always in ‘some’ people mind to talk trash directly or not on one or the other system every time they have the chance so … but I don’t need explain how it works do I? (Or maybe I do but it’s like trying to explain the internet isn’t always a heaven full of straightforward angels haha)
🤷🏼‍♂️
It’s actually an interesting phenomenon messing with people’s minds and I think they are more victims than really mischievous but let’s leave it at that haha 👌

Edit
On topic in short how I see it.
D-Brand. ‘Sue us, we dare you’
Sony ‘ok’
D-Brand ‘OMG Sony threatens to sue us’

Haha nothing to see here but fake outrage.

@Northern_munkey they didn’t withdrawal the faceplates over that, that was over their plans to sell stickers. And yea, it was not polite marketing but people can not put a screen protector correctly on a flat screen. How you think most people would fare applying a large sticker on a curved surface?

@HotGoomba I never post on reddit so I didn't know that. Dbrand <should> ask sony, I mean they're getting sued right now 😅

I think sony should make the official plate themselves and license custom plates to others company. It's weird that sony make ps5 plates so easy to change but didn't do anything about it.

@Floki Not all white plastic turns yellow. It depends on the plastic used. My 15 year old Wii is still white.

@Boxmonkey me too. I love the look now. Even bought a black Dualsense. This SUITS

@ORO_ERICIUS yeah same. I’m thinking of getting a second black controller and selling my white one on ebay.

Fair enough if they're going to release them themselves but we all know they're not. Sony are inept with the *****. Always have been.

@Tharsman whatever..the fact is that they treated their client base with complete disdain..they deserve everything they get...and its nobodys fault but their own..

@Boxmonkey nice good idea. Additionally I exchanged the battery pack with this one: https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B09DD726YC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B09DD726YC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Lasts for about 15hours now and it is easy to do. 10mins.

Reminds me of the best news headline ever

"What are you gonna do, stab me?" - Quote From Man Stabbed

I don’t mind the white and black, goes well with my series s

@Integrity And then you get a Kisss, and you only pull a pikachu face? Wow! May the force be with you.

You can also buy them on a giant chinese web store. For those who are interested in black, blue or red.

Meanwhile other sellers are quietly selling their faceplate on amazon, in various colours 😂

The comment warfare is strong in this thread, haha.
I'm going to look at it from both sides:

Sony clearly has plans to release different plates, either themselves or with a partner company and they want to protect this. I wouldn't be surprised if they sold a contract to a company saying that they would be the sole producer of the alt plates. With this contract in mind, it is Sony's duty to protect the IP at all costs or risk being sued themselves by the third party.

Clearly, Sony believes they have a patent on the plates or the decal of the plates and see that either all or part of the design of the Dbrand's plates infringe on this.

It is Sony's right as with any company to provide a C&D if they feel that their IP is threatened - as with many IPs if you don't actively protect it you can lose it.

On DBrand's side, the reason for the Sue Us campaign was off the back of another company (Trezn) creating plates that included the ^OX[] design PS would have a patent over, they also included the PS logo too (Source: https://www.denofgeek.com/games/playstation-5-faceplate-lawsuit-explained/ )
Did this draw Sony's attention? Possibly. But it also drew the attention of 100s of gaming websites, Reddit and other news outlets to report on this, giving them more backlinks to their product than they could have hoped for.

At the time of the PS5 reveal, there was a huge demand for a black version. Any company that had a method to create these were going to if they could. DBrand were clever and used the reports of Trezn stopping their sales due to Sony's C&D to boost the visibility of their product and establish themselves as the leader in creating these custom plates.

DBrand also clearly think they have legal grounds to be making these. They are an established company and I don't think they would have made these without first looking at the legality of it all.

Overall, I think Sony are foolish for not at least announcing new plates yet - I mean how hard can that be to get into production? The longer they leave it, the more people who want custom plates will look elsewhere. If they don't announce anything for the holiday season then they will be missing out on a whole lot of extra revenue.

Overall, I hope Sony let alt plates from third-party sellers become a thing - I think there would be a lot of creative designs out there if allowed - but knowing Sony, they'd fight as much as possible to keep it under their lock and key, meaning at most we'll get some new colours such as the Cosmic Red and the Midnight Black, probably a Classic Grey and their go-to blue colour. I'd guess they would sell whole limited edition PS5's with custom designs - maybe they would sell the plates separately.

DBrand isn't going to make enough money from the faceplates to fight this in court. They're going to go away with their tail between their legs - maybe barking loudly, but leaving all the same. It's not worth betting their company on a protracted legal battle, even if they're right. We could argue about whether that means the legal system is broken or working as intended, but it's the facts.

What I'm hoping is that Sony is fighting these third parties because they have plans to release their own vanity plates (or sanctioned plates licensed by third-party manufacturers). If that's coming - and at a halfway-decent price - then bring them on already, we're getting close to the 1-year anniversary! Honestly, I was a little shocked that the Horizon Forbidden West reveal didn't include a collector's edition bundle with custom PS5 plates. Maybe they're hoping to hold those for console releases like they did for the PS4, instead of just panel releases??

@HotGoomba good customer service aside. Peripherals aside (dubious as the plate is a component of the hardware) they have breached patent law. Its that simple.

@Tharsman here is a question then. How did they even design the faceplates If they didn't use Sonys original patent?

Guessed?

Mate the original patent has been out in the wild for awhile now, hence how so many companies were able to make the things in the first place. Its the same way case makers produce cases for phones yet to release.

https://gamerant.com/ps5-design-patents/

Got mine on Amazon.

There are tons of listings. Just make sure to get one Shipped from Amazon. Mine fits perfect, and makes it black. Job done.

I guess if you do not make so much noise, Sony does not care.

@Integrity It just reminds me of when Sony shut down Liksang.com for selling Japanese PSPs to the west. They singled those guys out and had the website forcibly closed even though there were many, many other sites doing the exact same thing.

@Tharsman

They provided the patent number in later communications according to the reddit post - the patent number is WO/2021/192362 for reference.

Here's the link to the patent documents:

https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=WO2021192362&tab=FULLTEX

(click Full Text and machine translate to English) §16,19-20,31-38 describe the PS5 exterior plates in Fig 2A-B.

It's a blatant violation of patent law. I don't judge anyone for feeling sore at Sony, but those folks' issue is with patent law itself, not Sony. Sony would be insane not to assert its intellectual property rights in cases like this. Write your senators to have patent laws changed I suppose?

So... yeah. It is what it is. I do agree though copyright/trademark law in the West favors the corporation a little too much in most cases. But that's just an opinion I personally hold. This is a black and white breach of patent law.

Dbrand, despite their edgy marketing, likely came to the same conclusion and pulled the product for that reason. Their idiotic marketing belies an intelligent company, no doubt. Likely one that has their own lawyers advising just as Sony has theirs.

The reddit post says dbrand have given in to the "terrorist" demands but they will be back. Spoiler alert: they won't be back. Darkplates are gone for good outside the second-hand market. Lesson learned for them, hopefully.

@TheTinfoilTitan

If dbrands' statements are to be believed, they were not aware of a pending patent for the plates, as Sony did not advise them of the patent number in legal communications, up until a certain point.

I actually believe them when they plead ignorance. They may have also just banked on Sony seeing them as too little a fish to care. I think what happened is their product just unfortunately became a little TOO popular (its a high quality product based off most reviews). Sony took notice and... well.

As I've said elsewhere, it's a violation black and white. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to jail.

Though... I think it is good to have debates about the reach of patent/trademark laws and what SHOULD be able to be patented. Supposedly the shape of these plates direct airflow in some manner that aids in cooling the system. But... that could be complete BS that Sony just threw in to get the patent application passed.

If you take a look at Amazon everyone's grandmother is selling plates of all colors and most seem to be very good quality, so what's the point of going after these specific guys? cause they double dared Sony?

@Boxmonkey look at this https://www.theverge.com/22733642/dbrand-new-ps5-darkplates-sony-legal-threats

Why do people care what colour the PS5 is, mine sits behind a mesh door on my entertainment unit, the only time I see it is when I change the disc, and it looks fine, and dbrand is a shty company, over charging for basic products that peel off in a few months, this was just a money grab/sht stir to try and drum up business for a gurgling company.