Sony has some mounting problems in Europe.

Customs officials have been ordered to seize shipments of all PlayStation 3 shipments from the manufacturer and hold them in storage for at least 10 days. The orders come as LG has won a preliminary injunction against Sony in an ongoing patent dispute between the companies.

The Guardian reports that tens of thousands of PS3s were seized last week in the Netherlands and that Sony is "frantically" trying to get the order lifted. Retailers aren't expected to see any shortages for 2-3 weeks at least. 

At issue between the companies is LG's allegation that Sony used Blu-Ray technology owned by the Korean competitor in the PS3. The companies are bitter rivals and have other patent disputes simmering as well over other products.

LG is reportedly trying to get a similar order to prevent shipments to the U.S. as well, but so far has not been successful.

The countdown is on for the next installment in the "Call of Duty" franchise – and all signs are pointing to "Modern Warfare 3".

Activision has sent out dog tags to select members of the press that include the message "end the war" and refer to athe website FindMakarov.com. That site (which is getting hammered right now) features a countdown clock that's set to expire Wed. March 2 at 7am PST.

Vladimir Makarov, the apparent namesake for the site, was the primary villain in 2009's "Modern Warfare 2," fueling the speculation.

Call of Duty, of course, is Activision's biggest franchise. "Modern Warfare 2" set entertainment industry records that were subsequently broken by last year's "Black Ops". Will "Modern Warfare 3" continue the streak? We'll see the first bits of information about the game next week.

[UPDATED: Activision has issued a statement that the site has no ties to the "Call of Duty" franchise.

“There seems to be a great deal of speculation about the next Call of Duty project,” said the company. “Let me be clear that we are not revealing yet. Anything indicating otherwise is a hoax.” 

The publisher furthertold Kotaku it had nothing to do with the dogtags sent to some media outlets, either.]

Another notable sports event is joining the 3D broadcast brigade.

The NBA Finals will be shown in stereoscopic 3D by ESPN 3D this June, after broadcasting its first game using the technology last December.

It's a victory for 3D TV manufacturers, who have been trying to convince consumers that the amount of content for the sets is rising steadily. Sports events are expected to be one of the key selling points for the sets as they look to expand their installed base.

Beyond the NBA, the Masters and the World Cup have both experimented with 3D broadcasts. The NFL, though, has held back on using the technology with the Super Bowl. Fox Sports opted against it this year due to the small number of sets in homes and the added expense of shooting the game in 3D.

The Creator's Project, a creative showcase initiative created by processor giant Intel and media company Vice (which is behind Vice Magazine and VBS.tv), is undergoing a dramatic expansion.

The initiative will today announce the launch of a multi-million dollar major studio that will produce multimedia works for leading and emerging talents from the art, film, design and music worlds.

The Studio, as it's called, will provide technology and resources to artists and help them release albums, artwork and films, which will be released through a variety of channels including traveling international exhibits, museums, concerts and digital platforms (like The Creator's Project website).

"We created The Studio because the status quo in media right now is a tragedy," said Vice founder Shane Smith. "Whether it's in film, music or the fine arts, a lack of access to production and distribution has left some young artists disenfranchised and frustrated. The Creators Project created The Studio to show the world that there is another model for supporting creativity, a model where the artist, and the artwork come first. To show our commitment we will produce and distribute artworks globally while allowing The Studio artists to own, forever, any of the work that they create for us."

The first works from The Studio will debut at Coachella.

Intel, for its part, has been expanding its reach into the entertainment field lately. In late January, it tapped Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am to be director of creative innovation – although no one, including will.i.am, seems to be entirely sure of what that job will entail. 

Ok, I recognize this is just clever marketing from THQ, meant to appeal to my ego. I know they're using me here to promote "Homefront," as it nears its March 8 ship date. I even realize other game-focused media sites are likely posting similar clips around the Web.

That said, this is a clever piece of propaganda recreation. And I would like to be the first to apologize for "cruelly attack[ing] the facilities that provide oil for you to stay warm in winter." I assure you that the Variety propaganda production mentioned in this audio file is of the highest caliber.

"Homefront," for those scratching their heads right about now, is an upcoming action shooter from THQ. The game, set in 2027, presents a vision of the resistance movement against a nuclear-armed Korean People's Army, which has previously invaded and conquered the US. A good setup for the game can be found via Youtube.

In the meantime, enjoy this audio file, apparently making me public enemy number one.

Wherein your humble blogger becomes an enemy of the state

Amazon is escalating the battle among video streaming services.

The online retailer has flipped the switch on Amazon Instant Video, a ‘free’ streaming service for paying members of its Amazon Prime program. The service is squarely targeted at the growing service Netflix has been building over the past few years, with over 5,000 titles – and a lower monthly cost.

Amazon Prime members already pay $79 per year for free two-day shipping. (Student and trial subscriptions are not eligible to receive the service.) Even if they never take advantage of that once, the monthly cost for this streaming service works out to $6.50 per month, $1.50 less than Netflix’s least expensive service.

The catalog of video content is wide reaching and includes recent movies and a lot of television programs that are very similar to those offered by Netflix, with some differentiating features. For instance, if you’re interested in watching the original “The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest,” you can do so both with subtitles or dubbed – whichever suits your fancy.

Amazon has a big enough footprint on enough devices to be a bigger competitor to Netflix than Hulu’s streaming service. The company is already integrated into many newer Internet-enabled TVs and the Roku set top box. Amazon and Tivo are also partners, but the service does not appear to be available on those boxes, yet. Netflix does have the advantage of being available on all three video game consoles, however.

It’s a service in its early days and early criticism is being centered on the quality of the content – but when you factor in Hulu’s recent coup of grabbing the Criterion Collection from Netfllix, the streaming media battle is getting a lot more interesting.

You have to give Panasonic credit for pushing the envelope. After launching a TV last year that let owners record programs to an SD card, the company has now taken the wraps off of a new set that does away with the remote control.

Customers in Japan can now buy the VIERA DMP-HV200, a gesture-controlled set that allows users to adjust the volume and change channels with a wave of their hands. The 10.1-inch sets will go on sale March 18 for a converted price of $640.

Like the record-to-SD sets, this line will only be available in Japan for now – but the idea behind the technology is already being actively explored on this side of the ocean. Microsoft's Kinect is leading the charge so far, with its ability to rewind and fast forward films via gestures – and pause and play movies by voice command.

Meanwhile, PrimeSense, the company behind the peripheral's technology has already said it expects at least one U.S. cable company to release a product this year allowing subscribers to change channels, access video on demand and more through hand gestures.

When Disney Interactive Studios laid off hundreds of workers last month, insiders warned that the cost cutting wasn't over. Now the executives overseeing that division have confirmed that.

Cco-president John Pleasants and James Pitaro, speaking at an investors conference this week, said they plan to reduce operating costs by another 25 percent before they're through cutting. They did not detail how they plan to do that, but most workers feel like the axe is still hovering over their heads.

The Disney Interactive Media Group has been a weak link on Disney's armor for a while, pulling down the company's earnings. Pleasants and Pitaro are vowing to make the division profitable by 2013.

"When John and I came together, we knew it was important to set clear and bold business goals backed by a common mission that unified our businesses," said Pitaro.

Variety tech guru David Cohen answers your questions about the industry. Chat starts at 10 a.m. PST.

The bad news is video game sales continued on their downward trajectory in January. The good news is it was nowhere near as bad as analysts were expecting.

Game sales fell 5 percent last month as compared to the same period in 2010, according to the NPD Group. That's considerably better than the 11 percent some industry observers had predicted.

Hardware sales took a slightly more steep tumble, falling 8 percent, but that's not unexpected in January – as console sales tend to slow down once the holidays end. Kinect continues to be a hit, though, as accessory sales were up 6 percent. (PlayStation Move contributes to that category as well, but checks with retailers indicate that Kinect is still the barn burner among the new motion controllers.)

Gamewise, it was some familiar titles at the top of the list. "Call of Duty: Black Ops" and "Just Dance 2" led the pack, with "Dead Space 2" coming in third.

The complete list of the top 10 games can be found after the break.