Sony Combat Movie Piracy.... by stopping the sale of DVDs

[Harper]

Sony Pictures CEO threatens to stop selling DVDs in Spain - AfterDawn

Blaming illegal file sharing and streaming, Sony Pictures is hinting that they may stop selling DVDs in Spain.

In reality this appears to be just posturing, perhaps intended to put pressure on the Spanish government to criminalize all illegal copying. Under current Spanish law copyright infringement is only illegal if it's done for profit.

According to the LA Times, Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman and CEO Michael Lynton said, "Spain is on the brink of no longer being a viable home-entertainment market for us."

Spanish Minister of Culture, and former filmmaker, Angeles Gonzalez-Sinde appears to be firmly on the side of movie studios. He's currently backing legislation that would make it possible for the government to shut down websites for even providing links to unauthorized movie or music downloads with no judicial oversight.

He also apparently believes the people of Spain are simpletons who don't understand the concept of intellectual property. He has said "in Mediterranean countries, it's hard for people to understand that immaterial things can be worth as much as material things."

It seems unlikely that Sony Pictures would give up all revenue from DVD sales in Spain simply to make a point about piracy. And if they did decide to make such a poorly thought out business decision it certainly wouldn't stop downloaders from getting their movies through unauthorized sources.

If anything, it would increase unauthorized downloads while drastically reducing studio profits in Spain. If Sony wants to destroy their business that's between them and their shareholders.

But I would hate to be the executive responsible for explaining the decision to analysts at the next quarterly earnings call.

Nice brain fart Sony. Currently Spain does have the option of buy legit DVDs. You stop the supply of that, and people will have no choice but to purchase the pirate products.

 

[Yami]

Well, they can make a fail move if they want. They'll prove a point... but for what gain?

 

[wafflehammer]

Well, they can make a fail move if they want. They'll prove a point... but for what gain?

Some times proving a point is worth more than what you're losing out of it.


It's a silly move..yea..but I dunno..it's getting to the point that no one wants to do anything about it except the companies. If governments would actually enforce laws (and tone down the fines..I mean $5k a song is ridiculous ) I'm sure piracy would tone down a bit.

 

[Trotter]

Spain is a part of the EU. Sony would have to pull DVDs from the whole EU to stop them from going into Spain.

 

[Kharn]

^ Trotter just hit the nail on the head.

To be honest though I think Angeles Gonzalez-Sinde is a mite touched in the head, if he thinks that Mediterranean people can't grasp that fact I would point him towards a history book about the Renaissance, and then point him towards the baying mob.

 

[carnageX]

Some times proving a point is worth more than what you're losing out of it.


It's a silly move..yea..but I dunno..it's getting to the point that no one wants to do anything about it except the companies. If governments would actually enforce laws (and tone down the fines..I mean $5k a song is ridiculous ) I'm sure piracy would tone down a bit.

They would lose profits on an entire country (or like Trotter said, they would have to pull it out of the entire EU, so several countries). This would only push people to pirate. People don't want to go to theatres all the time to see a movie, and movies are only in theatres for a certain amount of time.