I would like some clarification on the names for media companies with reference to the existing rules. I have had the following come up a few times on my profile submissions and I just want to get it a little clearer.

The rule:
Omit any locality-specific suffix. e.g. Enter Paramount Home Entertainment, not Paramount Home Entertainment (UK)

I take this as read and believe it applies to these companies who have worldwide presence having registered the same name in different countries and thus use the suffix as exampled in the rule to distinguish betwen where the release was.

I do not take this as meaning to remove any country name that forms part of a registered name of a company. The one that commonly comes under this is "Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Australia", whereby people think that the "Australia" is merely a descriptor suffix for Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. I believe this is incorrect, the actual registered company name in Australia for this company is Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Australia Pty Limited (ABN 39 152 425 735). There is no company here that is registered with the name "Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment" - it doesn't exist.

So from the rules, I remove the Pty Limited from the end as is outlined and leave the rest. Some people disagree and say that Australia should also be removed.

Clarification please.

I, personally, would remove the "Australia" at the end anyway just for having a standard way of handling these. I believe the "suffix" in ruling applies to cases exactly like this: that we have an international distribution company with independent companies in individual countries.

If we excluded the country in every case, where we have the company name ending in the country name AND it is not about registered company, we wouldn't exclude anything(?).

For example, in Nordic countries, most big studios have registered companies in each country. For Nordic releases it commonly has on back cover that (translated) "In Sweden this film is distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment (Sweden)", In Finland this film is distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment (Finland)"... and the same for Norway and Denmark. The thing is, that all these local branches are also registered companies, but still the country at the end is regarded as a suffix and it seems that everybody, when contributing nowadays, removes that.

edit: middle paragraph corrected.

Quoting Draxen:

Quote:

For example, in Nordic countries, most big studios have registered companies in each country. For Nordic releases it commonly has on back cover that (translated) "In Sweden this film is distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment (Sweden)", In Finland this film is distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment (Finland)"... and the same for Norway and Denmark. The thing is, that all these local branches are also registered companies, but still the country at the end is regarded as a suffix and it seems that everybody, when contributing nowadays, removes that.
.

But is the (Sweden) and (Norway) part of the actual name or are those names actually Paramount Home Entertainment.

What I am saying is that "Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment" does not exist in Australia, there's no such company and there is no material where the name in that format is ever seen. There is also Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and if that is the media company then that is what's entered - I don't add Australia because it's not part of the name (and remove the Pty Ltd which is).

The way the rules are I am starting to believe if Sony changed their name to Sony Pictures Australia Home Entertainment - people would have you remove the Australia from that too. May as well, even if it's not a suffix - just as it's not a suffix in Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Australia Pty ltd either.

Quoting Parsec:

Quote:
Quoting Draxen:

Quote:

For example, in Nordic countries, most big studios have registered companies in each country. For Nordic releases it commonly has on back cover that (translated) "In Sweden this film is distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment (Sweden)", In Finland this film is distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment (Finland)"... and the same for Norway and Denmark. The thing is, that all these local branches are also registered companies, but still the country at the end is regarded as a suffix and it seems that everybody, when contributing nowadays, removes that.
.

But is the (Sweden) and (Norway) part of the actual name or are those names actually Paramount Home Entertainment.

What I am saying is that "Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment" does not exist in Australia, there's no such company and there is no material where the name in that format is ever seen. There is also Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and if that is the media company then that is what's entered - I don't add Australia because it's not part of the name (and remove the Pty Ltd which is).

The way the rules are I am starting to believe if Sony changed their name to Sony Pictures Australia Home Entertainment - people would have you remove the Australia from that too. May as well, even if it's not a suffix - just as it's not a suffix in Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Australia Pty ltd either.

I see where you are coming from and no, I don't think e.g. "Paramount Home Entertainment" functions as an independent company as such in Finland. It has formed a branch company  "Paramount Home Entertainment Finland Oy", which handles film distribution here. Same principle in other Nordic countries and some other studios.

What I think, judging by how the contributions seem to be made these days with regard to studios, is that people generally interpret the country name at the end to be (part of) the suffix, not only the Oy / Pty / Ltd etc... In the rules it doesn't specifically say, that " (UK)" country specification is a suffix only if it is not part of a registered company name.

So, because the country at the end seems to be generally seen as a suffix by contributors, and because it doesn't really break any rules (what "suffix" in the rules is, isn't clear cut), I would recommend this standard of contribution to be used in your case as well. Just IMO.

The locaility should be clear from the profile locality anyway so no need to repeat it in the company field.

Quoting Lewis_Prothero:

Quote:

If in doubt handle this case-sensitive.
A locality at the end of a company-name would for me indicate locality specific suffix.
If the company would be "Australian Home Entertainment" I would nevertheless include the word "Australian" since the mere "Home Entertainment" would make even less sense.

And that's where I think it falls over. Because if there were a media company called Home Entertainment Australia Pty Ltd - then it would be reduced to "Home Entertainment". Btw, there actually is a company called Entertainment Australia Pty Ltd, I guess if they ever come up I'll have to submit them as "Entertainment" :-)

So ok, I figure what everyone wants for the db now and will just quietly lament of yet another instance where we are not allowed to catalogue our items as they actually are.