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Even more Narutards?
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| Yan |
| quote: | Anime Industry Faces Piracy Concerns
Author: EDWIN DE LA CRUZ
videostoremagazine@hive4media.com
Posted: December 30, 2004
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Recent lawsuits by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) against peer-to-peer file-sharing sites have sent shockwaves throughout the community, with some sites shutting down completely.
While many Hollywood releases have virtually disappeared from these sites, anime hasn’t been so lucky. A simple search resulted in dozens of sites still hosting links or information on how to download anime titles such as the “Ghost in the Shell” TV series and even programs such as “Naruto,” currently on air in Japan and slated for future U.S. release.
Newton Grant, business development manager at Central Park Media believes that one way to tackle anime online piracy is to join the online revolution.
“CPM strongly supports new technology initiatives [that] will provide online anime viewing for rental or purchase,” Grant said. “We are moving aggressively in this direction via licensing arrangements with market leaders like Comcast for cable VOD services, and OnAir and TotalVid for online VOD services.”
Jason Meyers, director, business and legal affairs, at Geneon Entertainment could only say that, “Geneon will be implementing policies and procedures to aggressively combat and eradicate piracy of Geneon’s products. Piracy will simply not be tolerated.”
Bootleg DVDs Also a Concern
Other anime studios such as Bandai Entertainment have different concerns from online file sharing: the prevalence of bootlegged DVDs. During last year’s Anime Expo convention, Bandai filed lawsuits against several retailers for engaging in the duplication, importation, distribution, and/or sale of unauthorized DVDs and merchandise that infringed upon copyrighted and trademarked properties.
“We found several retailers selling cheaply made DVDs of some of our properties,” said Jerry Chu, Bandai’s marketing manager.
“Our legal department is quite aware of the online file trading situation, but currently we’re on a ‘wait and see’ approach due to illegal product we found at these small retailers.”
Since Anime Expo, Bandai has also found illegal product in comic book shops, on eBay and several online retailers that will sell complete sets of anime TV series at a small price above the suggested retail price of a domestic release. Bandai’s lawsuits against these retailers are still pending, and Chu could not comment further.
Some small anime retailers are fighting back by supporting the anime released legally.
Image Anime, based in New York City, is one such retailer. Located in the heart of midtown Manhattan, this small, 1,200-square-foot anime retailer has been servicing the anime community since 1992 and prides itself in stocking only legitimate releases.
“We try to educate the consumer, who sometimes may not know the difference between a bootleg and a legitimate release,” said Adam Dickstein, a manager at Image Anime. “Sometimes they’ve seen the title on the Internet and think it’s available. And when they come looking for it, we tell them what they saw was a bootleg.”
Bootlegging Part of the Culture
Meanwhile, other industry insiders are not exactly rushing to blame anime’s ardent fanbase for the ease in which these files are readily available.
Fans are technologically savvy and have been subtitling anime on their own for more than a decade.
In today’s high-tech world, these programs are easily subtitled — while they’re still on the air in Japan — and are made available for download using almost any type of peer-to-peer technology.
“We have sent these fan-subtitling groups cease and desist letters. Most, if not all, usually comply and stop the distribution of a newly acquired property,” Chu added.
It isn’t clear yet whether the shutting down of sites hosting BitTorrent links will have a lasting effect. One only needs to remember Napster’s sudden closure in 2000 and how it sparked more popular music file-sharing programs such as Kazaa.com to spread. |
In a recent news release by Geneon, it was mentioned that the smash hit Naruto will soon be coming to America! No dates, times or anything else was mentioned in regards to the release. What was mentioned is that Geneon plans to strike hard against online anime distribution. |
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| Orbax |
| screw you guys i like Naruto. Its something to watch and enjoy inbetween other series. |
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| nrjizer |
What are they going to do?
Copy protection is a joke and will never work.
The only thing that can slow down p2p share is the threat of being sued. But most Anime studios aren't huge monopolies like the MPAA, and don't have time or resources to go after individual downloaders. And a lot probably don't care. The reason you see big dents in movie sharing is because 98% of North American movies (that are released in theatres or get widespread video release) are owned by the MPAA.
It's the same with music... 98% of the music you hear on American radio is RIAA owned. They're a huge corporation who can go after all the people they want to. You never see indie labels (especially in EDM) flinging law suits at torrent sites because (besides the fact that most are cool and don't care) they just don't have the might to do it.
So anime will continue to roam free on the internet, probably for a long long time. |
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| Yan |
| quote: | Originally posted by Orbax
screw you guys i like Naruto. Its something to watch and enjoy inbetween other series. |
And we love you for that, Orbax.
All the others that do but DON'T have crazy ninjar adventures and post wild pictars suck! |
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| beats and beeps |
| quote: | Originally posted by Yan
And we love you for that, Orbax.
All the others that do but DON'T have crazy ninjar adventures and post wild pictars suck! |
Man, was that really your real hair in the hair thread?
I must know. |
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| Yan |
| quote: | Originally posted by beats and beeps
Man, was that really your real hair in the hair thread?
I must know. |
Yup. Unfortunately, it's real. :( |
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| daydreamer |
Naruto, i am watching that right now.
it is ok. don't see what all the hype is about. :rolleyes: |
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| Nautilus |
| What's a Naruto? |
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| Orbax |
| quote: | Originally posted by daydreamer
Naruto, i am watching that right now.
it is ok. don't see what all the hype is about. :rolleyes: |
what episode? and dont roll your eyes, bitch! |
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| beats and beeps |
| quote: | Originally posted by Yan
Yup. Unfortunately, it's real. :( |
ok, honest to god, you have the coolest hair I've ever seen. |
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| Yan |
| quote: | Originally posted by Nautilus
What's a Naruto? |
http://www.animenfo.com/animetitle%...x%2Cnaruto.html
| quote: | Originally posted by beats and beeps
ok, honest to god, you have the coolest hair I've ever seen. |
Wow. Don't know what to say. Thanks a lot, I guess. I really appreciate it. Most people don't like it :( |
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| beats and beeps |
| quote: | Originally posted by Yan
Most people don't like it :( |
You cut it, and I cut you.
This one kid at my school trys to have crazy hair like that, you walk all over him, even though he gets it permed. |
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