There was also controversy surrounding the rights to use the "Columbia" name and trademark for the album's release in international markets. There were different rules for owning the rights to the "Columbia" brand name, depending on the market. For the album's release in Japan, where Columbia Records’ parent company Sony does not use the "Columbia" name or trademark, for example, the label was re-branded as SME Records (SME is an abbreviation for Sony Music Entertainment), which is a sublabel of Sony Music Entertainment Japan, itself a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation and operates independently from the American Sony Music Entertainment, of which Columbia Records is a part of. The "Columbia" name and trademark are actually controlled in Japan by Nippon Columbia, which is a direct competitor and neither has direct relations with the American Columbia Records, nor with Sony Music Japan. It should, however, be noted that Nippon Columbia was, in fact, the former licensee for the American Columbia Records up until 1968, when Sony Music Japan's predecessor, CBS/Sony Inc., was established.