LAST YEAR: Local firm Odex takes legal action against
illegal downloaders of anime
NOW: Japanese anime producer sends lawyer's letters
By Liew Hanqing
August 15, 2008
ANIME fans beware - the copyright holders of these Japanese
cartoons are still cracking down on those who download them
illegally.
The New Paper, 2 Aug 2007.
Singapore law firm Rajah & Tann is now acting on behalf of
Japanese anime producer and distributor Showgate Inc to enforce its
copyright here.
Showgate owns the copyright to popular anime series, including
Devil May Cry and Great Guardians.
It is not known how many letters have been sent out so far.
The New Paper obtained a copy of the letter, which stated that the
users had allegedly downloaded anime through BitTorrent, a popular
file-sharing program, and that these downloads were an infringement
of Showgate's copyrights.
7 DAYS TO RESPOND
The owners of the Internet accounts that were allegedly used for
the downloads have been invited to 'enter discussions' with
Showgate's lawyers.
They have seven days to respond to the letters, failing which,
legal action will be taken.
Last year, local anime distributor Odex undertook similar
enforcement action, sending letters to hundreds of netizens who had
allegedly downloaded bootleg copies of anime series licensed to
Odex.
Downloaders were ordered to pay Odex up to $5,000 in reimbursement
for its enforcement expenses, and to sign letters of undertaking
not to repeat their offences.
Showgate is an associate member of the Anti Video Piracy
Association of Singapore (AVPAS), a local anti-piracy alliance
founded by Odex in 2003.
Odex director Stephen Sing, who is also secretary of AVPAS, told
The New Paper that he found out only yesterday that Showgate had
begun cracking down on errant downloaders, after a colleague told
him about online discussions about it.
SHOWGATE CONSULTED ODEX
He said Showgate was one of the Japanese companies that had
consulted with Odex when the local anime distributor conducted
enforcement activities against downloaders last year.
Mr Sing said: 'Last year, we acted on behalf of the Japanese
companies and were mainly just following their instructions.'
This time, it appears that Showgate is acting independently.
One netizen, who received a letter on Tuesday from Showgate's
lawyers, posted a thread on a popular online forum asking fellow
netizens for advice on his next course of action.
In his posts, he admitted to having downloaded copies of Devil May
Cry in April this year.
He added that he plans to seek legal advice before responding to
the letter.
The New Paper tried contacting him via e-mail and through the
online forum, but there was no reply.
The New Paper asked Rajah & Tann several questions, including
whether information on the downloaders had been obtained from all
three Internet service providers, and what kind of settlement their
client was looking at.
But one of its lawyers would only say: 'We have no instructions
from our clients, the respective Japanese copyright owners, to
issue any press statements or respond to queries at this point of
time.'
- With additional reporting by Andre Yeo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Odex's first salvo: May 2007
Odex director Stephen Sing. --ST File Picture
MAY 2007 Local anime distributor Odex gets court
order requiring Internet service provider (ISP) SingNet to release
account information of users whose accounts are linked to illegal
downloads of anime distributed by the company.
It sends letters to them, and also hires US company to track
illegal downloads and trace users. Downloaders each made to pay
$3,000 to $5,000 in reimbursement to the company.
AUG 2007 StarHub asked to disclose names of
illegal downloaders. Incident creates uproar among netizens, who
call it privacy infringement.
Soon after, Odex director Stephen Sing is flamed online and
threatened. Anti-Odex online campaigns follow.
SEP 2007 Mr Sing announces that Odex will not send
any more letters to Internet users with a recent history of illegal
downloading, provided they stop at once.
JAN 2008 High Court orders ISP PacNet to give up
names of users who illegally downloaded anime to be sent to six
Japanese anime studios.
