Singapore cracks down on anime piracy

last SG · 2007-06-01T23:05:39+00:00

Tis strange to clamp down so hard on the downloaders when the source of most unofficial fansubs are derived from capture of free-to-air broadcasts. It's a...

Gordonator SG

some letters published in the straits times.

Odex should harness the Internet to distribute its wares

I REFER to the report, 'Getting anime illegally online? Beware' (ST, June 1).

I was slightly amused when I read the report as it appeared to be a fantastic PR opportunity for Odex to raise awareness about its core business in distributing anime in Singapore.

More importantly, I was amused by the fact that Odex, besides having to contend with the issue of piracy, was conceding the fact that the 'pirates' or 'fansubbers' are actually doing a better job than them in providing the 'consumers' with a product they wanted, according to the perception of the consuming public.

Judging from the sentiments as expressed on online forums such as Hardwarezone and VR-Zone, it appears to me, a third-party observer, that the consumers don't mind paying for their anime, but are unwilling to do so for low-quality versions of it and are quite adamant about their non-support of Odex's products because of the particular 'perception problem', as mentioned by Odex spokesman Stephen Sing.

I'm personally not a fan of anime, but this by far would be the most interesting anti-piracy drive because, for the first time, the original is perceived as being inferior to the pirated copies, as opposed to the norm where pirated usually means poor bootleg copies or bad camera jobs.

A possible solution would be to create an online distribution channel and allow fansubbers to do the subtitling in exchange for a commission, in what could potentially be a win-win-win situation for the fansubbers, the consumers and Odex.

If Odex is able to provide cheap bundle deals of three DVDs for $9.90 inclusive of costs such as packaging and cost of producing the discs, I'm certain it would be able to offer a much more competitive pricing by harnessing the Internet's advantage of near-zero distribution cost.

It would require a total rethink in the business strategy, distribution and perhaps even require it to re-negotiate the distribution agreement it has.

Having said that, I suppose it is much easier for it to just scare people by sending out warning letters and issuing a press release to strike fear.

It would be much better if Odex could seek the opinions of fans and come up with a solution that works instead of simply trying to force the law upon the same group of people they expect to be their loyal buyers.

Wang Hongjun

Gordonator SG

Japanese anime: A fan speaks up

I REFER to the article, 'Getting anime illegally online? Beware' (ST, June 1).

I maintain a blog on Japanese anime and pop culture that is read by many Singaporean and overseas anime fans.

I believe that our fan community is being severely misrepresented by the article in question and I ask for a chance to let us, the anime fans, give our side of the story which the article unfortunately neglected.

It is no understatement to say that fansubs are the foundations of the entire anime community in Singapore.

Fansubs and word-of-mouth created the popularity that anime enjoys today.

Some people see it as nothing but piracy, but I disagree.

There are hundreds of anime series being aired in Japan and only a very minute fraction of it become commercially successful enough to garner interest from foreign companies.

The rest of them never stood a chance of making it abroad.

Fansubs changed that. Some of the most popular shows today were made famous by digital fansubs, or online piracy as some would call it.

They went on to become international hits. It is no coincidence that the popularity of anime increased exponentially all over the world in recent years just as file-sharing and broadband technology matured.

I have personally spent thousands on anime DVDs and soundtracks. I know that I, along with all my friends in the community, would not have spent a single cent on anime if we had not come to know of it through illegal fansubs.

I hope the irony is not unnoticed. And yet even those of us who are willing to spend nearly $100 to import a R2 DVD from Japan refuse to pay $9.90 for a locally-made R3 DVD of the same anime title. I wonder if it is truly just a simple matter of digital piracy at work here?

One more episode downloaded does not equate to one less DVD sold. It is just not that simple.

Jiang Chang Xing

Gordonator SG

'Perception' problem will stay if Odex does not improve service

I AM writing in response to the article, 'Getting anime illegally online? Beware' (ST, June 1).

In the article, Odex spokesman Stephen Sing mentioned a 'perception problem' concerning the quality of 'original anime works'.

He is absolutely right. There is a perception problem - but Odex has not shown anime fans any evidence it is willing to change that.

Odex's current website (www.odex.com.sg) has been showing an 'Under Construction' placeholder for at least the past two weeks. Its previous site was not any better, as it was not constantly kept up to date.

Websites are a vital connection to the young and tech-savvy clientï¿½le - it is a way to keep them up-to-date on the newest releases, upcoming licences, a catalogue of current licences as well as a mode for feedback from the fans.

Also, a look into local video stores shows many titles available only on VCDs. If not for the article, I would not have looked deeper to find the sparse titles available on DVD. The $9.90 trial offer was also unknown to most. This further enforces that little information about what Odex is doing actually reaches the anime community.

Moreover, the quality of Odex's releases are debatable. Many fans have commented that the quality of its subtitles are inconsistent between releases, tend to be inaccurate and contain numerous grammatical errors. Surely Odex, being a commercial entity, should have in place some quality control measures?

Finally, the reason why anime fans here perceive local releases to be of low quality is that they have benchmarks with which to make comparisons.

Take a look at ADV films (www.advfilms.com), from the US. Just from their site you can see that a wealth of information is given to viewers at a glance.

Podcasts, presence at anime conventions, et cetera - all these disseminate information to the anime community and helps keep the company connected to their customers.

From Internet reviews, ADV DVDs provide relatively good subtitles, passable dubs and a plethora of DVD extras. The first DVD of a series tends to come with series holder cases. All these encourage the customer to continue buying DVDs.

Another example closer to home would be Chuang Yi (www.chuangyi.com.sg), a local manga publisher. Again, you can see its site gives info on newest releases, as well as upcoming releases. Book release flyers are sent out to stores selling their books, to keep non-tech-savvy customers abreast of developments.

These are role models for Odex to look up to, and to see how they can improve. If it is unwilling to show change, this 'perception problem' will always remain.

Victor Heng Fuwen

GoOdOnE SG

we need MORE!!

MohamedF SG

want to quote this... this paragraph speaks magnitudes...

furb SG

After all those post in the strait times forum section, did Odex reply anything or even do something about it? Question

Sagara SG

Bloody hell.

This means war.

Will boycott the stupid company.

Mad Mad Mad

Sagara SG

any updates to this ??

Xephone_xenon SG

No, odex now like damm quiet.
For those that are hiding now can come out liao. Cool

Gordonator SG

i have already wrote some of their names in my black note book. guess they learnt their lesson.

Xephone_xenon SG

Why no news on their death!? Laughing

Rika Ishikawa SG

actually u get dl anime on torrent site as long it is not license outside japan. that mean the animes is still free for distributing and not out in store. u can safety dl from those fansub. once it license u dl at your own risk.

Hir0shi SG

Anyone know of any sites which is trustworthy enough to purchase Anime online? Is www.discountanimedvd.com a good place? Anyone bought from there before? Thanks for all replies.

Gordonator SG

cos i wrote, "commit suicide in a far away place without anyone knowing." Laughing

Purplehaze623 SG

hmm example like:

bleach in jap anime now nt available episodes in singapore, are downloading them legal? cos i heard that companies have to buy the copyrights and distribution rights from the jap companies in seasons. e.g. episode 1-20+, etc.

i've been downloading even korean and japanese dramas all along, which are currently nt available in singapore even.

btw gordon, wad u write to ST?

bladez87 SG

Originally posted by Gordonator:
some letters published in the straits times.

[b]Odex should harness the Internet to distribute its wares

I REFER to the report, 'Getting anime illegally online? Beware' (ST, June 1).

I was slightly amused when I read the report as it appeared to be a fantastic PR opportunity for Odex to raise awareness about its core business in distributing anime in Singapore.

More importantly, I was amused by the fact that Odex, besides having to contend with the issue of piracy, was conceding the fact that the 'pirates' or 'fansubbers' are actually doing a better job than them in providing the 'consumers' with a product they wanted, according to the perception of the consuming public.

Judging from the sentiments as expressed on online forums such as Hardwarezone and VR-Zone, it appears to me, a third-party observer, that the consumers don't mind paying for their anime, but are unwilling to do so for low-quality versions of it and are quite adamant about their non-support of Odex's products because of the particular 'perception problem', as mentioned by Odex spokesman Stephen Sing.

I'm personally not a fan of anime, but this by far would be the most interesting anti-piracy drive because, for the first time, the original is perceived as being inferior to the pirated copies, as opposed to the norm where pirated usually means poor bootleg copies or bad camera jobs.

A possible solution would be to create an online distribution channel and allow fansubbers to do the subtitling in exchange for a commission, in what could potentially be a win-win-win situation for the fansubbers, the consumers and Odex.

If Odex is able to provide cheap bundle deals of three DVDs for $9.90 inclusive of costs such as packaging and cost of producing the discs, I'm certain it would be able to offer a much more competitive pricing by harnessing the Internet's advantage of near-zero distribution cost.

It would require a total rethink in the business strategy, distribution and perhaps even require it to re-negotiate the distribution agreement it has.

Having said that, I suppose it is much easier for it to just scare people by sending out warning letters and issuing a press release to strike fear.

It would be much better if Odex could seek the opinions of fans and come up with a solution that works instead of simply trying to force the law upon the same group of people they expect to be their loyal buyers.

Wang Hongjun[/b]

i think i know this guy. lol

Xephone_xenon SG

Guys!!! I need help here!!!

I just recieved the Odex letter.
They ask me go down to discuss with them with a view to resolve the matter before they instruct their lawyers to sue us.
So i just go down or?

If you have recieved the letter or has friends that had.
Please pm me for MSN. I want to know the exact discussion details.

DriftingGuy SG

http://app.hipfriends.org.sg/hip.asp

dragg SG

8 pages of reply.

this shows just how often you people download anime.

Laughing

^tamago^ SG

http://forums.hardwarezone.com/showthread.php?t=1667809

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