A pair of embittered Russians have accused hundreds of lawyers at Hogan Lovells of conspiring to deny them compensation for inventing part of the Playstation Vita.
In his mammoth 73-page complaint, serial litigator Vitaly Pilkin alleges that his colleague, Vladimir Miroshnichenko, invented a "Control of virtual symbols". He claims that Sony used the vaguely-defined, patented wotsit in its handheld gaming console without compensating Miroshnichenko. Because Hogan Lovells acted for Sony in persuading Russian courts to dismiss the claims on, RollOnFriday understands, approximately ten occasions, he alleges that the firm is part of the conspiracy.
Pilkin's complaint reveals that after he targeted a handful of Moscow-based Hogan Lovells lawyers with accusations of corruption, he widened the scope of his campaign and emailed Sony shareholders and directors and 30 Hogan Lovells Washington partners with a breakdown of his zany allegations. And then over 100 more Hogan Lovells lawyers, including CEO Stephen Immelt. His complaint lists the names of everyone he attempted to contact, noting sadly that in each instance, "No reply was received". Except once, when the firm's general counsel informed him, "I have investigated your assertions and do not believe that any response is required from Hogan Lovells in respect of them".
In an argument so weak Mr Burns could KO it, Pilkin claims that by making the lawyers aware of his Playstation woes each and every one of them is complicit, because they failed to report their firm to the police. In total he claims that 156 individuals at Hogan Lovells and Sony therefore committed 246 "acts of racketeering activity". And all because his emails were automatically placed in the spam folder.
Even the Department of Justice is in on it. Pilkin describes in his complaint how he discovered "by browsing the web", covered in Cheeto dust and sitting under a tinfoil pyramid, that Hogan Lovells recommended legacy Hogan & Hartson partner Loretta Lynch to the position of US attorney general. He alleges that because the DOJ subsequently rejected his claims, Lynch and DoJ officials must also be guilty of corruption.
Other accusations include the eye-popping allegation that Hogan Lovells "corrupted top executives of Rospatent [the Russian patent office], through bribing the Russian judges of three Russian courts", all "to secure sales of game consoles PlayStation Vita in Russia". Shockingly, Sony Electronics "has not replaced Hogan Lovells with another law firm", the Arbitration Court of Moscow "rejected all applicant’s proofs without any reasoned evaluation" and the lawyers "have not been replaced or punished by Hogan Lovells for their wrongdoing". In fact, one of them was promoted to senior associate, which Pilkin seizes on as "a bribe" to buy her silence.
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In his mammoth 73-page complaint, serial litigator Vitaly Pilkin alleges that his colleague, Vladimir Miroshnichenko, invented a "Control of virtual symbols". He claims that Sony used the vaguely-defined, patented wotsit in its handheld gaming console without compensating Miroshnichenko. Because Hogan Lovells acted for Sony in persuading Russian courts to dismiss the claims on, RollOnFriday understands, approximately ten occasions, he alleges that the firm is part of the conspiracy.
Pilkin's complaint reveals that after he targeted a handful of Moscow-based Hogan Lovells lawyers with accusations of corruption, he widened the scope of his campaign and emailed Sony shareholders and directors and 30 Hogan Lovells Washington partners with a breakdown of his zany allegations. And then over 100 more Hogan Lovells lawyers, including CEO Stephen Immelt. His complaint lists the names of everyone he attempted to contact, noting sadly that in each instance, "No reply was received". Except once, when the firm's general counsel informed him, "I have investigated your assertions and do not believe that any response is required from Hogan Lovells in respect of them".
In an argument so weak Mr Burns could KO it, Pilkin claims that by making the lawyers aware of his Playstation woes each and every one of them is complicit, because they failed to report their firm to the police. In total he claims that 156 individuals at Hogan Lovells and Sony therefore committed 246 "acts of racketeering activity". And all because his emails were automatically placed in the spam folder.
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Patent Troll, the new game from Sony. |
Even the Department of Justice is in on it. Pilkin describes in his complaint how he discovered "by browsing the web", covered in Cheeto dust and sitting under a tinfoil pyramid, that Hogan Lovells recommended legacy Hogan & Hartson partner Loretta Lynch to the position of US attorney general. He alleges that because the DOJ subsequently rejected his claims, Lynch and DoJ officials must also be guilty of corruption.
Other accusations include the eye-popping allegation that Hogan Lovells "corrupted top executives of Rospatent [the Russian patent office], through bribing the Russian judges of three Russian courts", all "to secure sales of game consoles PlayStation Vita in Russia". Shockingly, Sony Electronics "has not replaced Hogan Lovells with another law firm", the Arbitration Court of Moscow "rejected all applicant’s proofs without any reasoned evaluation" and the lawyers "have not been replaced or punished by Hogan Lovells for their wrongdoing". In fact, one of them was promoted to senior associate, which Pilkin seizes on as "a bribe" to buy her silence.
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