QUOTE
Time Warner Inc., Walt Disney Co. and other movie distributors settled a lawsuit brought on behalf of hearing-impaired customers who bought DVDs containing bonus material that wasn't enhanced for people with hearing problems.
The studios, which also include Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and Universal Studios Home Entertainment, deny liability and are settling to avoid further litigation, according to a statement.
Under the accord, the studios will provide more closed-captioning, pay $275,000 to nonprofit groups for the deaf and hard-of-hearing and as much as $1.3 million in lawyers' fees.
The studios, which also include Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and Universal Studios Home Entertainment, deny liability and are settling to avoid further litigation, according to a statement.
Under the accord, the studios will provide more closed-captioning, pay $275,000 to nonprofit groups for the deaf and hard-of-hearing and as much as $1.3 million in lawyers' fees.
I'd read about this, but I'm glad the studios are (apparently) willing to cooperate... if I understand the suit correctly, this means that they'll actually have to caption the bonus materials on at least their higher-profile new DVDs. Warner and Sony are notorious for not captioning bonus materials here on the other side of the Pond-- and Disney is just as bad about it on both sides...
Only one gripe-- I'm surprised Universal was one of the parties to the suit, but Fox wasn't. I've seen far more subtitled bonus material on Universal's DVDs than Fox's in Region 1.
