Sony Agrees To Deal Over 'The Interview' Hack

Sony Pictures Entertainment has agreed to pay up to $8m (£5.2m) to current and former employees in a legal settlement stemming from last year's computer hack.

The agreement filed in Los Angeles Court on Monday calls for up to $10,000 a person - capped at $2.5m - to reimburse employees for identity theft losses.

It also specifies up to $1,000 a person - capped at $2m - to cover the costs of credit fraud protection services, and up to $3.5m in legal fees.

The settlement requires approval by a judge.

In a memo to staff on Tuesday, Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton called the agreement "an important, positive step forward in putting the cyber-attack firmly behind us".

A group calling itself Guardians of Peace infiltrated Sony's computer systems last November and began releasing internal documents, emails and personal information.

Disclosures from hacked emails not only caused embarrassment and turmoil at the studio but also exposed discussions key to the company's future.

Guardians of Peace said the cyber-attack was in retaliation for Sony's then-unreleased film The Interview.

The hack initially prompted Sony cancel the release of the North Korean-based comedy, but the studio reversed course after President Barack Obama called the delay a "mistake".

The Obama administration openly blamed North Korea for the cyber-attack, and responded by imposing fresh sanctions.

Pyongyang denied involvement in the hack, but excoriated The Interview, which fictionalised a CIA plot to kill North Korea's leader.