Bleem Powers Down After Long Legal Battles

A maker of software that lets consumers play video games meant for Sony's PlayStation on their PCs and other consoles shut down this week after protracted legal battles. Bleem, a Los Angeles-based company that made "emulator" software, replaced the front page of its Web site with a graphic depicting a tombstone in a grassy field. The stone says, "Bleem! April 1999-November 2001."

Sony first sued Bleem about its products in May 2000. Bleem countersued, claiming Sony was exercising an illegal monopoly over the video game industry.