Netflix is one of the most popular online video streaming services in the world with a vast library of content that includes movies, TV shows, documentaries and much more. It was one of the first services of its kind to start streaming content in 4K resolution. Netflix is only available in a handful of markets but that hasn’t stopped people in unsupported countries from using a VPN to access the service. This doesn’t sit too well with Sony Pictures.
As you might have heard, Sony Pictures was recently hit with a massive cyberattack which resulted in confidential data being stolen. Data includes emails from executive staff, salary packages, aliases of celebrities, unreleased movies and more.
The data that has come online in the latest leak shows that Sony executives were irked by Netflix not taking action against overseas VPN users. These executives believed that Netflix was in breach of its licensing contract with Sony Pictures Television by allowing users in unsupported markets to stream them. They called it piracy that is “semi-sanctioned by Netflix.”
Leaked emails sent by SPT president of international distribution Keith LeGoy to SPT president Steve Mosko revealed that the company wasn’t happy with Netflix over this. They even tried pressuring Netflix to increase “geofiltering” control over subscribers to keep users from unsupported markets from streaming content.
That would have included restricting payment methods that would have not allowed such subscribers, living in countries where Netflix doesn’t have streaming rights, to sign up for the service.
Netflix has not yet commented on the leak, and its unlikely that the streaming service is going to justify its position on this matter in the public.
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