Daily — July 2, 2026

Sony halts new-release discs, Australian musicians push back on AI copyright, Naver Webtoon's AI story-chat.

• [Reuters] Sony to Stop Making Discs for New PlayStation Releases from 2028 ↗

  Sony said that from January 2028 it will stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation games, selling new titles only digitally via the PlayStation Store and retailers. About 80% of Sony's full-game sales in FY2025 were digital downloads, and the PS3 and PS Vita stores are also being wound down. It marks a turning point where console-game distribution shifts fully from owning packages to account- and store-based license access.

• [ABC News] Australian Musicians Press Government Over a Possible AI-Training Copyright Exception ↗

  Australia's music industry is pushing back on the possibility of letting AI firms train on copyrighted content — or widening licensing exceptions — and is urging the federal government to keep existing copyright protections. Creators argue that letting music, literature, video, and journalism be scraped in the name of AI development would shift revenue and control to overseas tech companies. AI training-data regulation is moving beyond lawsuits into country-by-country copyright policy negotiations.

• [MK] Naver Webtoon Launches 'byUs,' an AI Story-Chat Built on Official IP ↗

  Naver Webtoon launched byUs, an AI story-chat where users converse with AI characters from webtoons and drive the story themselves. It uses only creator-approved official IP and offers original and fan stories plus UGC creation tools. It's a platform experiment extending webtoon IP from something you read into AI conversation, fan fiction, and interactive storytelling.