Forum - View topicQuestion: Rampant Piracy?
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dynamike
Posts: 4 |
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I'm a big fan of a few anime/manga titles, and recently, I purchased some items on eBay, however when I received them, they were sad bootlegs/reproductions of the originals.
I also noticed that there are quite a few vendors that sell these kinds of illegal goods. To make it worse, I go to some fan sites and even the fans are distributing the goods for free. How in the world can you call yourself a fan and respect the art when you're not respecting the distribution of the product? So my question is: What do I do about this? Should I report this to the authorities? Why is this community running rampant like this? Who buys legitimate products here? Post your feedback and let's discuss this because I'm very interested in this issue. Thanks! |
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v1cious
 Posts: 6221 Location: Houston, TX |
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dude, apparently you're new to the community cause fansubs/scanning is not anything new. reporting isn't them isn't really gonna do any good. there's a certain torrent site i'm sure many probably already know that distributes anime dvds right when they hit the shelves, and has been doing it for quite some time, but they still haven't been busted. ther's really not much you can do about it besides send an email to the companies or somthing.
Last edited by v1cious on Wed Aug 17, 2005 1:51 am; edited 1 time in total |
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dynamike
Posts: 4 |
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You're right. I am new here.
And you made an interesting point. Personally, I have no doubt that the industry is fairly lax in enforcing piracy--I mean, I look for originals as hard as I can, but most of the stuff I see are *not* originals...so it's obvious there isn't much being done about it. So I guess my question really is, "Why?" Is there sufficient revenue for these companies that they don't want to waste time dealing with piracy? I don't want to hear opinions, I want to hear facts. Is there any news or anything written regarding this matter? Has anyone ever been busted for illegal distribution? I'm just extremely passionate about some of this stuff I read and watch. When I compare it to anything that the U.S. can produce, there just isn't anything close. There's so much to be admired in anime and manga, so that's why I don't mind droppin' the $$ for the goods. Honestly, I'd love to hand deliver my cash to the actual people who conceptualize, create, draw, etc. this stuff...but I guess giving it to the distributors is (sadly) the next best thing. Money-hungry companies can go to hell, but again, this stuff is worth my money. Thanks. |
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7992 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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It's pretty much useless to try to get the government involved when Hong Kong (The origin of most bootlegs) authorites won't even do hardly anything about their rampant bootleg problem. Last year they did take down a few factories though, so at least they're trying. I believe it was the company FX that got raided. They were producing some really good quality knock offs which I suspect made them a big target.
The only thing you can do is make sure you aren't duped again by following several guidlines for common signs you're about to get ripped off with a bootleg: 1) The region code is listed as 0 or is nonexistant 2) It has subs in Chineese 3) You bought it from EBay or Amazon Marketplace 4) There are a different usually lower number of discs than the official release 5) The series hasn't been released in your region yet 6) There is currently no official boxed set available for the series in question in your area Last edited by Kruszer on Wed Aug 17, 2005 12:52 am; edited 1 time in total |
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dynamike
Posts: 4 |
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Thanks for the tips.
I've already experienced some of those through experience. Ha! It's funny how bad these bootlegs are, too--the anime is pixelated, you can see the compression artifacts. It's pretty pathetic. I'm sure many people don't give a damn about it, but man, I love watching and hearing at the highest quality possible. The quality is about as bad as watching it with the English dub. Oh, the horror. |
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Kruszer
Posts: 7992 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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Yeah they compress it so that they can fit more episodes on less discs. This usually results in shoddy video and audio, although there are good reproductions, that don't have that problem as well it depends on who makes them.
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hagakure|returns
Posts: 407 |
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I say you report them to ebay or anybody. Getting rid of some seller is better than nothing. I notice a lot of bootleg seller on ebay too, and I report them here
I notice that if 2 or more people report, it will get their ebay account ban. Even if it seem useless, we all have to do our part. Hopefully the anime community wouldn't be filled with such llecher and bootleggers and we can get anime for a fair price. |
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Isaaru
 Posts: 375 Location: the oppressed colonies in outer space |
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its comin. I hope ADV is sellin those thinpacks well, becuase the deals on those are killer. If other companies see that working they will follow suit. And now that anime is more popular I have managed to get a lot of 29.95 anime easy for 19.95 at many major outlets like Best Buy or Suncoast. And i raid the used bargain bins a lot looking for older domestic releases. Most of my collection I have paid usually around 9.95 a disk. |
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Starwind Amada
Posts: 981 Location: Easton, PA, USA |
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We're not talking about dubs, so shut it, smart guy. We don't care about your otaku opinions. |
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ChibiBritt
 Posts: 52 Location: Denton, TX USA |
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I'm sure he doesn't care much for your opinion either. Let him have his own. And for the record...just because he prefers subs does NOT make him an otaku. |
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Starwind Amada
Posts: 981 Location: Easton, PA, USA |
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But this topic isn't about dubs. He's just trolling. Never mind, let's get back to the piracy stuff.
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Dagwood
 Posts: 222 |
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Read through this tread, it's pretty helpfull. It can be found in the Retail section of the Forums. animenewsnetwork.com/bbs/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5401
My advice to you is to find a retailer (like Anime Nation, Right Stuff, Best Buy, or Suncoast) that only sells legit items. If you shop around these and other retailers you can find great deals on legit products. I made the same mistake as you when I first started buying anime. I bought a Cowboy Bebop boot from Amizon's Marketplace; I've never shopped there since. |
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dynamike
Posts: 4 |
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Thanks for the link. I'll definitely use this as much as I can.
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Kusanagi_Kei
 Posts: 230 |
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Yes well said, Kruszer. Another few pointers would be to check the product ID, e.g. Alion, and EverAnime or SonMay have product ID numbers which start with "A8", or "GGG". This applies to CDs. CDs are also a tricky one to distinguish between the real and the fake. They have the same covers, and on eBay they don't put the product code on their too, just the image of the front cover. Best thing for buying anime CDs is to see if they have a good photo of the CD so that you can see the item code on the cover. Or if you're unsure, search for the bootleg CD, find the bootleg code e.g. SonMay "GGG-577", and then ask them what the product code is, or request a better photo of the item. For DVDs it's obvious Kruszer like had pointed out. Best thing and perhaps the most obvious is the stupid cover.  heheh
The covers are no where like the originals. Or moreso, the price.  Love Hina full boxset (3 DVDs) starting bid at $2.99.
Pathetic isn't it?
Haha, I know exactly how you feel. I tend to react the same way, but I resist it as it simply feeds them for their laughter.
Heheh, very true. I'm almost an otaku though, I never go out, and all I do is collect anime/CDs/manga. 
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