just wondering.

since i saw that next week Criterion will release the last emperor remastered on dvd. which is actually owned if i am not mistaken by columbia pictures studios ( sony )

so could sony use the remaster from Criterion and release it on bluray? or would they have to remaster it by themselfs? and how does that work for other companies?

If they already have the rights to the movie, then it is likely they can publish it in whatever way they like, in whatever resolution.

As for Sony, they would have to license the better HD master from them. Criterion owns that, even if Sony owns the underlying movie.

Criterion has always needed permission from the licensing studio to release films. They are merely a distributor and do not own any properties themselves.

Criterion has always needed permission from the licensing studio to release films. They are merely a distributor and do not own any properties themselves.
There is no such thing as "permission." You license content and once you do, subject to the terms of that agreement, you can do with it as you wish. That is how a number of titles from BD studios came out in HD DVD in Europe. Surely Fox, Sony, etc. did not give them "permission" to publish in HD DVD :).

Of course, Criterion agreement could be more restrictive than the norm above. If so, shame on them. They should hire better negotiators next time :D.

Well, Criterion agreements are more restrictive in several ways, they have to get a new agreement for each medium they release in, and their agreements always expire after a few years and need to be renewed. That's why Criterion DVDs go out of print and start being worth hundreds of dollars, when the agreement expires Criterion can't press any more discs. I have the Criterion DVD version of Hard Boiled which is OOP and it regularly goes for >$100 on eBay for instance.

in regards to criterion.one of my best friends works for a company that ownes the rights to one of their movies they put out on criterion.he told me last week that he wants the movie released on blu ray and they told him they are not going to release anything this year and are waiting for another platform(that they wouldnt say what that platform was).i believe my friend as he edits dvd's and really wants the movie released on blu .he said he has dealt with criterion for many years now and in particular this guy at criterion.

If you look at Criterion's web site, it's pretty clear that they were waiting for a definitive end to the format war before they begin publishing. The exact section from the FAQ says:
Will Criterion be releasing its catalog in Blu-Ray or HD DVD?

We know this is a concern for many of our customers, but we honestly don’t think consumers should have to take a stand in a format war. That said, we know how good our films can look in high definition because we’ve been doing all our mastering and restoration in HD for years. But the format war has as much to do with patent licenses and pressing plants as it does with putting gorgeous images on your screen. At this point, any solution that would let consumers upgrade with confidence would be a step in the right direction, and as soon as that solution emerges, we’ll be there.Now that there is a decisive end to the format war, I expect they will want to start publishing on Blu-ray as soon as it's feasible for them to do so. I can't wait!