From DailyTech: Most of you probably know by now that the Sony Pictures and Entertainment (SPE) division of Japanese conglomerate Sony Corp. (TYO:6758) was bullied by North Korean hackers and was forced to ax the Seth Rogen comedy The Interview, a satirical film targeting North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Now there's more bad news, as News Corp.'s (NWS) Fox reportedly has successfully pressured partner New Regency into dropping another film about North Korea, in an independent film starring north Korea.
The recent atmosphere of fear began with the hack of SPE on Nov. 24. A group calling itself Guardians of Peace (GOP) claimed responsibility. It threatened SPE execs that it would leak internal emails, unreleased film footage, and financial documents it claimed to have stolen in the attack, unless the company pulled The Interview.
Sony -- who's been hacked a fair number of times by Western "hacktivists" -- assumed this was just a ruse. Effectively the studio called the hackers' bluff. That was a mistake.
In recent weeks the hackers lived up to their word releasing troves of embarassing emails -- including some with SPE execs or affiliated directors making racist comments about the President, revealing embarassing secrets of high profile film industry figures, and talking trash about prominent actors and actresses. The releases have created a significant amount of ill-will against SPE.
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