Mayhaps it is not just the money side and the customer base that triggered the damage control procedure into overdrive. It's "giri" (honor) and the concept of "loss of face", in this case, corporate face.

As to liability, maybe not... the fine print in the pro-forma agreements ensures that minimum exposure to culpablity is ascribed to the service provider.

It's a good heads-up, though; for all AV users.