Sony Learns Disney and Sanrio's IP Protection and Monetization Techniques
- On 16 July 2025 the event space at Ginza Sony Park, facing the Sukiyabashi crossing, was filled with Snoopy artwork from PEANUTS.
- The report examines how Sony handles counterfeit prevention and monetisation for well-known characters.
- It notes that Sony's approach draws on the experience of Disney and Sanrio.
Character IP is one of the few industries Japan exports consistently, and this report deals with a practical question: how Sony handles counterfeit prevention and monetisation for well-known characters, using Disney and Sanrio as reference points. On 16 July 2025 the event space at Ginza Sony Park, facing the Sukiyabashi crossing, was given over entirely to Snoopy artwork from PEANUTS, which is itself part of the monetisation playbook.
The lesson lies in method rather than news. Character merchandising earns through two channels: licensing fees, which depend on strict rights management and legal enforcement to hold pricing, and directly operated retail and experience spaces, which turn footfall and attention into a reason to spend. Disney is strongest on the first, Sanrio on the second, and Sony is studying both.
For anyone in content or licensing, two takeaways apply: anti-counterfeiting starts with making genuine goods identifiable, and an experience space earns its keep by giving licensing negotiations a defensible price basis.