It seems someone saw a big business opportunity too early, which Sony is now simply putting a stop to.
As is well known, the PS5's side panels are interchangeable, and following its announcement, online shops offering custom faceplates in various colors appeared. Whether these would even fit was completely unclear at that point.
Sales must be stopped.
The extensive media coverage has naturally attracted Sony's attention, and they have now threatened legal action against the vendor if they don't stop selling these faceplates. This started with the domain name, which they changed at short notice. Apparently, that wasn't enough; they don't want to see copies of the faceplates from third-party vendors, at least not yet.
Sony is invoking its intellectual property rights in this case, which also extend to the faceplates. The PS5 design is fully protected and cannot be copied, even in part. Sales have been promptly banned worldwide, a ban which the aforementioned vendor is complying with. Sony has also assured customers that they will refund any pre-orders for these faceplates. Furthermore, they acknowledge that they now have to "a little smarter“ would be, as far as trademark law is concerned.
Sooner or later, Sony will likely offer its own faceplates for the PS5 or at least license existing ones. It's already expected that this will lead to unique special editions of the PS5. What you personally do with your faceplates is, of course, entirely up to you. But reaching for the spray can isn't far off.
