Court Rules Against Sony

A U.S. appeals court lifted a preliminary injunction barring a private software developer from using images of Sony Corp.’s PlayStation video games in advertisements. The ruling by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reverses a federal judge’s decision that stopped Bleem from using comparative “screen shots” of PlayStation games. Los Angeles-based Bleem develops software that allows users to play PlayStation games on personal computers. The PlayStation is the best-selling home video-game system in the world. Sony, the world’s second-largest consumer electronics company, sued Bleem last year for using the shots to compare the performance of Sony’s PlayStation console against Bleem’s software emulator. Sony’s American depositary receipts closed unchanged at $219.75 on the New York Stock Exchange.