April 22, 1999
Web posted at: 2:56 p.m. EDT (1856 GMT)

(CNN) -- A Federal Judge has granted a preliminary injunction against Connectix Corporation for selling a product that emulates the popular Sony PlayStation game console.

Sony Computer Entertainment America brought a lawsuit against Connectix claiming that the emulator infringes on its copyrights and causes "trademark dilution."

The court's order prohibits the sale and distribution of "Virtual Game Station" software, which lets consumers use some PlayStation software on Apple G3 Macintosh computers.

"We are pleased with the court's ruling which confirms our belief that Connectix did infringe on our copyright and intellectual property rights," Kaz Hirai, Sony's president and chief operating officer said in a statement.

Connectix has announced a 'temporary' suspension of "Virtual Game Station" shipments. The company says that products already shipped are not covered by the injunction and that it will continue to support customers who have already bought it.

Connectix denies Sony's charges and intends to defend itself.

"This is just the first stage of a lengthy process of discovery of facts and finding of law. We are confident that we will be able to resume shipments once this matter has received further review at the appellate level," Connectix President Roy McDonald said in a statement on the company's Web site.

"We do not believe that we have violated any intellectual property rights in the creation or marketing of Connectix Virtual Game Station."

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