Sony Loses Second Attempt Against bleem!

Bleem! today announced that it has successfully defeated a second attempt by Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA) to block sales of bleem!, a PlayStation emulator software for Windows 95/98. Bleem!'s court victory today is but the latest in a series of successful responses to recent legal challenges from the electronics giant.

"We couldn't be happier with Judge Legge's decision," said David Herpolsheimer, president of the small California startup. "We've never wavered in our firm conviction that bleem! was developed 100 percent legally and will benefit gamers, developers, and Sony alike."

Sony filed its most recent request for a temporary restraining order on Friday, April 24, less than three weeks after its first unsuccessful attempt to keep bleem! out of the hands of PC gamers, and just days before the final bleem! product was to be released. Sony's first TRO attempt before the Honorable Judge Maxine Chesney was rebuffed, as were other ex parte motions leading up to today's action.

Because commercial emulation is a relatively new area, many of the judicial findings in this case are likely to set new precedents. "While we imagined Sony might have some objections to a PlayStation emulator, we never anticipated the level of opposition we've experienced so far," states Herpolsheimer. "We continue to believe that bleem!'s compatibility, speed, and enhanced graphics capabilities make it a natural complement to Sony's PlayStation console, and a great way to extend and expand the market for the existing PlayStation software library. And regardless of these legal proceedings, our door remains open, and we still hope to find a way to work with Sony to make bleem! as great as possible and further enhance the PlayStation platform's appeal."

Although bleem!, LLC is a still just a two-man company, word of mouth among avid gamers has made bleem! one of the hottest topics on the Internet. Written entirely in hand-coded machine language, bleem! claims to offer the highest compatibility and performance of any PlayStation emulator to date. In addition to exceptional software-level emulation, the software also takes advantage of the newest 3D accelerator cards to deliver never-before-seen detail and resolution with existing PlayStation games.

Currently, bleem! is available exclusively from the company's web site for US$29.95. A full-scale retail version is in the works and will be in stores shortly. Also, a Macintosh version for sub-G3 systems is being planned for later this year.