Sony said shipments of its PlayStation 3 game consoles were being seized by customs officers in the Netherlands following a court injunction initiated by LG Electronics over a patent dispute.

Sony declined to give further details, saying it was still looking into the problem. South Korea's LG Electronics said it would not comment on pending legal matters.

Britain's Guardian newspaper said earlier this week that tens of thousands of the consoles had been seized in the Netherlands in line with a 10-day import ban ordered by a Dutch court.

The technology battle comes after Sony and LG Electronics failed to renew a technology sharing agreement when it expired three years ago, a person familiar with the development said.

The two technology giants have since sued each other over alleged patent infringements. Sony filed a complaint against LG with the US International Trade Commission last year, seeking to block LG from shipping its Rumor Touch and several other smartphones to the US.

LG filed a complaint to the commission last month, saying that Sony's PlayStation 3 infringed on its Blu-ray video technology.

The Netherlands is an important entry point for Sony's imports to Europe, but a person familiar with the matter said the company is seeking alternatives and does not expect its regional sales to be badly affected by the temporary ban.

Reuters