Sony Guilty of Fraud for Terminating Dash Internet Viewer, Alleges Complaint

Sony’s introduction and subsequent termination of the Dash personal internet viewer provoked a federal complaint Friday alleging the company is guilty of fraud and concealment for not telling consumers it wouldn’t go on supporting the product. The claims arise from the company's decision in July “to unilaterally and without recourse cut off its support” of the Dash, said the complaint (in Pacer), filed in U.S. District Court in Newark, New Jersey, and seeking class-action status. Sony terminated all functionality on the Dash through a “forced firmware update,” said the complaint. “As many disgruntled purchasers have posted on the internet, they are left with a paperweight, which cost between $100 and $200.” Consumers wouldn't have bought the Dash “if they knew that just within a few years,” Sony would “choose to stop supporting the product,” which was “only functional for a commercially unreasonable time,” it said. Introduced at January 2010 CES, the Dash tapped into cloud-based content, with no onboard storage (see 1103110137). Sony representatives didn’t comment Friday.