Walt Disney Co., the world's largest entertainment company, resumed sales of new movies through Apple Inc.'s online store in Japan after halting them temporarily in a dispute over terms.
Disney said in a statement Wednesday that the transactions had resumed after saying on its Japanese website Tuesday that sales through iTunes of films including "Frozen" and "Thor: The Dark World" had stopped while rentals of existing titles continued.
"We deeply apologize to our customers for this enormous inconvenience," Disney said in the Wednesday statement.
The two companies have had close ties in the past and Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger has been a board member at Apple since 2011. When video was first added to iTunes, the entertainment company was the first major studio to sign on with service.
Apple cofounder Steve Jobs was a director at Disney before his death in 2011. He became the entertainment company's biggest shareholder after Disney in 2006 bought Pixar, the animation studio he helped create.
Calls to the media office of Apple in Japan seeking comment on the temporary halt weren't immediately returned.
In addition to its film studios, Disney's Japan businesses include retail stores and a mobile-phone business that sells branded devices and licenses content and games to wireless carriers. The company had 46 outlets in Japan as of its 2013 annual report.
Disney earns royalties from Tokyo Disneyland, which is operated by Oriental Land Co. The company doesn't own an equity stake in the theme park operator, according to its annual report.
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