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biliano*
Joined: 11 Feb 2004
Posts: 0
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Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2004 9:39 pm
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*looks at the article*
It's amazing how some people just don't learn. The next thing you know, Pandora's Cube could be raided for other illegal activities like unlicensed gambling or drug dealing. Pretty soon, they will be forced out of business, and it will be their own damn fault.
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Rooboy
Joined: 09 Jun 2003
Posts: 35
Location: US Mid Atlantic
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Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 1:12 am
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I used to visit cube (as we call it down here) a lot. They're prices were outrageous and they were notorious for renting out VHS tapes of fansubbed anime. The video game bootlegging was just one facet of their business that should be shut down. I never get anything there, but I like to look around. They had no shame in doing such illegal activity. They get what they deserve.
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max_genus
Joined: 17 Feb 2004
Posts: 12
Location: US - Mid Atlantic
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Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 8:19 am
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Agreed. About time.
1st time we went in there, my kids went nutz at all the "cool" anime stuff. They were rather disappointed when I pointed out that all the media imports were bootlegs. And, yes, anything legit was just so far overpriced. Sad thing is so many people don't bother to find out/care if the stuff isn't legit if it's 'affordable'.
If I had the $, I'd open my own anime/manga store in the Baltimore metro area.
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Shiki MSHTS
Joined: 10 Jul 2003
Posts: 738
Location: NoVA
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Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 8:35 am
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Crazy. I have a friend who worked at Pandora's Cube. Eh. I didn't know they were involved in piracy (though I don't know why it didn't click when I saw the big sign on the front for Super X-Boxes. =P).
Sigh.
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kyuu
Joined: 24 Apr 2004
Posts: 16
Location: Tampere, Finland
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Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 12:45 pm
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Clear piracy, like pirated games, fansubs etc. is something that should get you on bread and water for a nice while. However, the wording in that reuters text looks pretty harsh. Mod chips should, in my opinion, not be a sufficient reason for arrest. In fact, in many countries they're still quite legal. They do have other uses than piracy - I'd hope many europeans can agree that a PS2 without a mod is quite hopeless if you happen to like Japanese rpg's for example. Very few are ever released in Europe.
Quote: | charges of conspiracy to commit copyright infringement and conspiracy to traffic in a device that circumvents technological protection measures |
Yes, that kind of text scares me.
Of course this is a bit besides the point - if they indeed dealt in pirated goods, that's a perfectly good reason to get someone responsible in front of the law. I'm just waiting to see when someone will have the sense to start throwing fansubbers in jail... probably still a dream for a while.
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Mroni
Joined: 11 Dec 2004
Posts: 29
Location: Stranded all alone at the gas station of love
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Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 6:41 am
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Mod chips are one thing and I agree that they shouldnt be illegal but loading up an xbox with 15 liscenced games. Man that is reason for a firing squad. Pandoras cube helped support my early anime addiction with things like poster etc but charging 10 bucks to buy fansubs on vhs tapes was just wrong. I don't feel a bit sorry for these people. Also selling Hks of commercially released stuff. And the funny thing is these idiots were doing it in malls!!! duh somebody might not be checking in malls for illegal stuff!!! Pandoras cube also has the habit of buying up a bunch of the space at Otakon and selling the same crap it sells in its stores and since its one of the only anime stores around here people have already seen the same old crap.
Mr Oni
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Rooboy
Joined: 09 Jun 2003
Posts: 35
Location: US Mid Atlantic
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Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 6:55 am
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Mroni wrote: | Mod chips are one thing and I agree that they shouldnt be illegal but loading up an xbox with 15 liscenced games. Man that is reason for a firing squad. Pandoras cube helped support my early anime addiction with things like poster etc but charging 10 bucks to buy fansubs on vhs tapes was just wrong. I don't feel a bit sorry for these people. Also selling Hks of commercially released stuff. And the funny thing is these idiots were doing it in malls!!! duh somebody might not be checking in malls for illegal stuff!!! Pandoras cube also has the habit of buying up a bunch of the space at Otakon and selling the same crap it sells in its stores and since its one of the only anime stores around here people have already seen the same old crap.
Mr Oni |
That is exactly how I feel about the place. I'd like to add that their prices for US licensed anime goods, such as DVDs, are now at MSRP levels, but is still more than I would be willing to pay (import merchandise is still insane). You can go online to reputable dealers and still find things cheaper than if you were to go into cube. For some reason, they always gave me an attitude every time I walked into the store, taking me to the point where if I couldn't find what I was looking for elsewhere, that store would be my "LAST RESORT." Their VHS anime is just a joke. I remember my friend renting Visions of Escaflowne a few years back. The quality was just terrible. You could tell that the tapes were bootlegged. Heck, they looked like 4th generation bootlegs. As for cube being at Otakon, I actually bought something from them. I got some GTO manga that was on sale. I've been attending Otakon since 2000, but that would be the only time I've bought anything from cube at Otakon. I hope that they don't show up this year, so there will be more floor space for better dealers. I think I'll pay them a visit, just to see what they are doing after this incident. I find their business comical, and that comedy is the only thing I will recieve from them cause it's free.
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