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Piracy Boosts Anime Sales, Says Japanese Government Study

An anonymous reader writes "A new study seems to confirm what a lot of the Slashdot crowd thinks, and the opposite of what the **AAs say: 'A prestigious economics think-tank of the Japanese government has published a study which concludes that online piracy of anime shows actually increases sales of DVDs. The conclusion stands in sharp contrast with the entertainment industry's claims that "illicit" downloading is leading to billions of dollars in losses worldwide. It also puts the increased anti-piracy efforts of the anime industry in doubt.' More specifically, '(1) YouTube viewing does not negatively affect DVD rentals, and it appears to help raise DVD sales; and (2) although Winny [a popular P2P program in Japan] file sharing negatively affects DVD rentals, it does not affect DVD sales.'"

199 comments

  1. Remember by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Correlation does not imply Causation. They even mention this in the article.

    This is a correlation. Misleading Title/Summary.

    1. Re:Remember by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Lack of correlation however is a good indicator that the opposite view is full of it.

    2. Re:Remember by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      And legalizing everything and handing out heroin to addicts actually reduces drug addicts.

      Don't expect Americans to actually take notice. They'll start imprisoning file sharers along with the drug users and promise it'll reduce piracy.

    3. Re:Remember by louic · · Score: 1

      Sounds like your statistics class helped. http://xkcd.com/552/

    4. Re:Remember by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Correlation does not imply Causation. They even mention this in the article.

      Exactly my thoughts. Sadly the article is in Japanese, so I can't make any judgement as to how well the researchers controlled for this, but it's not rocket science to realise that a highly popular work (=more youtube exposure, more piracy) will be both bought more and pirated more than a less popular work. This does not mean that the people who are pirating are also buying, nor does it mean that the piracy is creating extra publicity (though it might).

      The best argument I've seen for downloads creating extra sales is still Janis Ian's article on the subject, but note that this was a call for free downloading, not piracy. And irrespective of what the Japanese article shows, it's worth remembering that even helping to increase sales would not make piracy any less illegal. Personally, I think a lot of people want to have their cake and eat it too, here -- they want to have all the benefits of piracy whilst at the same time arguing that they're not committing any offence. Sorry, but it doesn't work like that.

      Disclaimer: I pirate stuff, and probably a lot more than I should. Doesn't stop me recognising it's wrong, though.

    5. Re:Remember by marcello_dl · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Ask ten people if having an mp3 is to be considered a penal offence, and then work out the probabilities that such laws passed around the world represent the opinion of the people.

      I must have said it here already. RIAA and all the others do studies too. They know that their public position on piracy = theft is utter BS. They don't fear pirated stuff, they fear the cropping up of alternative channels for the fruition of media. Because then the market fragments and the consumer becomes the Chooser.

      From a numeric point of view, that should not matter to them if they spend 10 million to produce and promote a band or spend them producing and promoting 10 bands, as long that they make up more than 10 millions in record sales. On the other hand, Art has often been about entertainment on the receiving end, about influence on the producing end, and I see no reason why this should have never happened after WWII propaganda efforts.

      --
      ---- MISSING MISCELLANEOUS DATA SEGMENT --- [sigdash] trolololol
    6. Re:Remember by Smauler · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      I'm a former cocaine and other substance user.... I got caught with cocaine, got a caution, and decided not to do it again (though I may have transgressed once or twice). I switched to mephedrone when it was legal (which is a very good drug, no matter what anyone says. No one has died because of it, the media circus around it was flat out wrong). I've dropped back to alcohol more since mephedrone was made illegal, and it's killing me. The only drug that has done me serious long term harm is alcohol...

      The only drug I've abused is alcohol. That's entirely my own problem, I know. The point I want to make is that I've used other drugs to have a good time, and not abused them at all. Weekend is weekend, once every so often harms no one.

    7. Re:Remember by Smauler · · Score: 1

      Crap... mod me down to oblivion O/T. This is what comes from posting while drunk.

      On topic : Correlation _always_ implies something. Most of the time, correlation and causation go hand in hand, which is why some people cite it as a common fallacy. Correlation without obvious alterior similarities _does_ imply causation.

    8. Re:Remember by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let me rephrase that, lack of correlation precludes causation in the given data set.

    9. Re:Remember by zalas · · Score: 3, Informative

      Disclaimer: I am not very well versed in statistics and have only just read the Wikipedia article on Instrumental variables.

      On page 14, the report discusses the model they use, which is a linear system of the log of the four variables they're trying to find relationships between. They then discuss 4 instrumental variables as well as two dozen or so dummy variables that describe aspects of the actual show, like when it is aired on TV, whether they have related drama CDs, net broadcasts, whether the anime was an original work or based on manga, novels, games, etc., who the target audience was and how many regions the show have been broadcast in. Table 3 has the full list, and also includes what I assume to be slopes in log-log space from their analysis as well as a "t" factor for which I'm not sure about. The four main instrumental (non-dummy) variables are: DVD price (number of thousands of yen per episode, how long a video on YouTube persists ... while the series is airing, within 1 month of that particular episode airing, and after the series is finished airing).

      Table 4 is a chart highlighting that there is a negative correlation with DVD price and DVD sales, but a positive correlation of DVD price and YouTube views. There were also positive correlations between how long a video managed to stay on YouTube after airing of the TV show has been completed and DVD sales, rentals and YouTube views, but a negative correlation with Winny downloads.

      According to Wikipedia, use of instrumental variables is one way to see if there is actual causation between two variables. However, I'll leave it to someone more well-versed in the subject to see if the report is accurate or not.

    10. Re:Remember by Daniel+Phillips · · Score: 1

      Don't expect Americans to actually take notice. They'll start imprisoning file sharers along with the drug users and promise it'll reduce piracy.

      When everyone is in prison, who will pay the taxes?

      --
      Have you got your LWN subscription yet?
    11. Re:Remember by X0563511 · · Score: 2

      Occupied territories?

      (disclaimer: I am a US citizen)

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    12. Re:Remember by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At least that will end the wars due to insufficient funding. Oh, wait it doesn't. The wars just reach a dynamic equilibrium with the funding. In the future, the next round in Afghanistan can be shot when the funding allows it and the next drug bust is performed after the wages for the necessary hours are paid to the freelancing police officers. It will be just how the Somalian pirates fund their operations; a citizen sponsors a rocket propelled grenade launcher and gets part of the profits collected with the weapon, only in this case the military doesn't have spoils to share. This idea will solve the problem of national debt and the Republicans will love it.

    13. Re:Remember by dryeo · · Score: 5, Insightful

      In 1930 if you asked 10 people if having some hemp should be a penal offence, you would have been laughed at. A couple of years later they renamed it and prohibited it. With a good propaganda campaign it didn't take long for most people to agree that possessing some marijuana should be a penal offence if not a capital crime.
      It's amazing what you can get accomplished with control of the media and a good propaganda campaign.

      --
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_totalitarianism
    14. Re:Remember by retchdog · · Score: 1

      That's not true and, strictly speaking, not even wrong if you bother to analyze it. "causation in the given data set" is meaningless.

      --
      "They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
    15. Re:Remember by Ihmhi · · Score: 1

      Don't feel bad, most of the stuff posted by the editors was probably done when they had half a bottle of rum in them anyway.

    16. Re:Remember by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Disclaimer: I pirate stuff, and probably a lot more than I should. Doesn't stop me recognising it's wrong, though.

      The worst sort of 'pirate'. If you think it's wrong and harming others, don't do it. I don't believe it harms others, but if you do, then you should stop. All you're doing is receiving mindless entertainment. It isn't something you need to do.

    17. Re:Remember by Talderas · · Score: 1

      We hope that's the case. Then it's excusable.

      --
      "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
  2. I believe it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I pirated a documentary called "Eating," since it wasn't available to rent on Netflix and I didn't want to just buy it.

    Well, while I never did buy the documentary, I did buy the book the book associated with it, that was written by the same guy that made the documentary. So yeah, if it weren't for piracy, that's a sale that never would have happened.

    What's funny is I ended up putting the documentary on YouTube, with links to the guys website. However the creator of the documentary messaged me after a week, demanding I take it down. I complied, of course, but I know for a *fact* that he's losing out on sales and attention. Oh well.

    1. Re:I believe it by X0563511 · · Score: 1

      At least he reached out to you instead of calling the copyright "police" immediately.

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
  3. Has anyone ever seen a decent study on this? by alexander_686 · · Score: 1

    I wonder if this is generally true or a special case.

    Otaku are odd people. My kind of people – but still – not what I would call a representative example.

    And from a western perspective – I hear the arguments about fan subs. Do they steal revenue? Do they help indentify shows that should be professionally dubbed and released. Or is it a non issue because the shows would never have been released? Probably a mixture of all 3.

    Has anyone ever seen a decent study on this? Have not had the time to read the article.

    1. Re:Has anyone ever seen a decent study on this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do they steal revenue?

      No. They lost that revenue when they ruined the show. The western market seems to think ALL anime is written for young school-children.

      Do they help indentify shows that should be professionally dubbed and released.

      This is the main reason I wont buy an anime. Most of the anime dubbed into english is awful. They use voice actors that just ruin it.
      The main character in the One Piece dubs sounds about 7 years old. They also remove any signs of blood or anything even remotely questionable.
      The last time I looked the US version of One Piece had lost about 30 episodes of action due to censoring. I prefer to buy the original Japanese releases then just watch fansubs.

      Or is it a non issue because the shows would never have been released?

      Very few of the shows I watch get released here. The ones that are end up being the bastardized crap that gets converted into a cartoon for the US market.
      Because of this it sells so poorly over here that they bump up the price so you end up paying as much as $10 per episode.

    2. Re:Has anyone ever seen a decent study on this? by X0563511 · · Score: 1

      In general the quality of the fansubs is worlds beyond what get's "sold."

      If you want me to buy it, put some money/time/talent/effort into your dubs or subtitles. Otherwise, I'm just going to go find a fansub and enjoy it that way.

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    3. Re:Has anyone ever seen a decent study on this? by Unkyjar · · Score: 1

      While I generally prefer subs, there have been a few dubs that I think were worth it. The Bebop and Baccano dubs are excellent.

    4. Re:Has anyone ever seen a decent study on this? by kyrio · · Score: 1

      It does not steal revenue because the products aren't available for purchase in my country (or even online), in my language (audio or subs). Even music isn't available for purchase, and that doesn't need to be in my language.
      It should identify what should be released over here, but it never is*.

      * If it** is released then it's a shitty dub. If they do add subs, it's auto-translated and therefore horrible.
      These days, pretty much every speedsub that is released is better than official Western releases. If you go into higher quality releases then there's just no comparison, the fansubbers are on a much higher level.
      ** 'It' being an anime that isn't actually made for children (Naruto, Bleach).

    5. Re:Has anyone ever seen a decent study on this? by sjwt · · Score: 1

      Black Cat also seems to have a better English dub then the original Japanese audio, but maybe its because the Japanese audio casting just makes me laugh...

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      You have 5 Moderator Points!
      Which Helpless Linux zealot/MS basher do you want to mod down today?
    6. Re:Has anyone ever seen a decent study on this? by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      I thought the GiTS:SAC dubs were good.

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    7. Re:Has anyone ever seen a decent study on this? by Unkyjar · · Score: 1

      Now now there's no need to insult. There's room enough on the thread for you to prove that your opinion is the absolute standard, without resorting to such inelegant attacks.

      Why exactly do you despise the bebop dubs?

    8. Re:Has anyone ever seen a decent study on this? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      You could always buy the DVD and then watch the fansub. Better to buy the Japanese DVD though, you don't want to encourage cap translations.

      To elaborate on why the commercial subs suck so much it is basically down to them trying to appeal to a wider audience. They remove cultural references and re-write jokes. Might be okay if you are just a casual watcher but it gets very frustrating for fans. Some of the fansub groups put a little explanation of anything that needs it with the video anyway. A good example would be the many jokes and references in Azumanga Daioh - the commercial sub is barely watchable and I won't even comment on the dub.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    9. Re:Has anyone ever seen a decent study on this? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Are you kidding? Admittedly western cartoon voice acting has got a lot better in the past 15 years but even now it isn't on the level that Japanese voice acting is.

      Also bare in mind that unless you speak Japanese and are used to hearing it spoken it is going to be hard to pick up the subtle meaning in a tone of voice or choice of phrase. My Japanese is only conversational level so I still use subs, but I can tell you that even if I don't understand every word I get a huge amount of information by listening. I find that it is rarely carried over to the English dub, which is hardly surprising since the actors are going to react differently based on their culture.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  4. anime may be a bad sample subject by v1 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    due to the very large crowd of fansubbers and their fans. Almost universally, fansubbing groups place recommendations at the start/intercession/end of their subs urging their audience to buy the anime when it becomes licensed in their area. Many also suggest that everyone cease distribution of the series at that point as well.

    Hard to say how many listen to that, but I know I've ordered box sets when they became available in my area, entirely because I was able to watch the fansubs and enjoyed the series and wanted higher quality and the extras they tend to ship with, and I know many others like me that way.

    I'll hit up the anime fansubbing sites every week or two, and download a few eps of what's popular, and I go from there to decide what series I follow. It's too bad more things can't work that way normally.

    --
    I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
    1. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by Microlith · · Score: 1

      Almost universally, fansubbing groups place recommendations at the start/intercession/end of their subs urging their audience to buy the anime when it becomes licensed in their area. Many also suggest that everyone cease distribution of the series at that point as well.

      Which largely amounts to nothing. The number of fansub viewers so wildly outweighs the number of buyers it's ridiculous and shows keep getting distributed no matter what.

      The worst part are people who whine about what is being made, have shows they enjoy, but never buy them. Then they have the audacity to wonder why more shows they like aren't being made.

    2. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by izomiac · · Score: 1

      There's also the trend that the more you watch/read/listen to a certain type of entertainment, the bigger fan you are. Bigger fans spend more money. IOW, even if you don't buy the box set of the series you just downloaded, you're far more likely to buy the sequel, or another series in the same genre.

    3. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'll hit up the anime fansubbing sites every week or two, and download a few eps of what's popular, and I go from there to decide what series I follow. It's too bad more things can't work that way normally.

      Ah but thats exactly what the government study is saying. Traditional logic says that a popular show that gets "pirated" by being posted on Youtube will make people less inclined to buy the DVDs. The problem is, what if you DIDN'T know what was popular? Would you be willing to spend money on a show with no knowledge of whether or not a show is popular?

      Stop hitting the anime fansubbing sites, stop downloading episodes of whats popular, stop using Youtube to "preview" anime and then see if you'd still be willing to order anime box sets.

    4. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      This was in japan ... Why would anything having to do with subtitles matter?

    5. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by Necreia · · Score: 1

      Which largely amounts to nothing. The number of fansub viewers so wildly outweighs the number of buyers it's ridiculous and shows keep getting distributed no matter what.

      Really? Source? That's almost shocking to hear, as my experiences have been so drastically different. I'd be interested to see that survey or study. Additionally, it would go pretty counter to the article above as well.

    6. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by Microlith · · Score: 1

      Well I can't read the article in question, as the site is blocked here at work. However others I know who are reading it state that the article contradicts the headline.

      And my statement is primarily derived from my experience in the community, which seems to largely consist of whiny fans who hate to spend money on their hobby because "they show it on TV for free!"

    7. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by Necreia · · Score: 2

      Perhaps it's an age or regional thing then. The last fansub circle I was in was in the mid-20's to mid-30's demographic which had a pretty stout "Buy it when it comes out in the states" stance.

    8. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by Chardansearavitriol · · Score: 1

      Bad sample or not it really doesnt matter. This statistic is true in basically every case. The only times when it isnt is when the distro companies try to force an outdated medium on us; CD sales drop because everyone hates CDs. Who wants to pay $20 for two songs you like an 10 songs that amount to little more than filler? Trying to gouge us by making us buy huge packages of channels we do not want and will not watch is what's hurting TV, not piracy. And if piracy is hurting games, which I doubt, its only because of the ridiculous crippling DRM and the inability to try a game in a reasonable manner before you buy in most cases. When I download something in such a manner, the moment im sure i'll like the game, I hop out and buy it. Civilization 4, Age of Mythology, Age of Empires 2, ROller Coaster Tycoon..I wouldnt have bought any of these if I hadnt tried them first. Money can be tight and at $50 a game, I cant afford to buy games im not sure i'll like.

    9. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      If you check the .nfo of many scene releases for all kinds of stuff, you'll see the same type of words usually, about supporting the software authors/content creators if you like it.

    10. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by VirginMary · · Score: 2

      I will download anything I like and then immediately buy it when it becomes available in my region. I have been known to even buy multiple editions and will always buy special editions should they be available. I use online and/or pirated material primarily as a screening resource. Since there is so much material out there there is no reason to watch anything that I don't greatly enjoy and if I greatly enjoy it, I want to support the creators and very likely watch it again and/or loan it out to some friends! I already own 400+ animé DVDs and blu-ray discs. Of course I am not likely to be a part of the typical target demographic as I am almost 52 years old.

      --
      When 1person suffers from a delusion,it is called insanity.When many people suffer from a delusion,it is called religion
    11. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      How much does the condition the professional releases are in impact this?

      Often the shows are edited into childrens' cartoons or at the very least drastically changed.

    12. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by loufoque · · Score: 1

      I've ordered box sets when they became available in my area, entirely because I was able to watch the fansubs and enjoyed the series and wanted higher quality

      If you want the highest quality, you'd better stick with the fansubs... They're generally much better than the commercial subtitles, both in the translation an in the typesetting/editing.

    13. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by v1 · · Score: 1

      How much does the condition the professional releases are in impact this?

      Often the shows are edited into childrens' cartoons or at the very least drastically changed.

      I tend to see the opposite. I have a number of series here that were censored when originally broadcast, having either small parts of a scene removed, or sometimes entire scenes. Those are present on the DVDs however. (Onegai Teacher is one example)

      One thing that annoys me there is that the fansubs are often more accurate or make more sense than the retail subs. But I tend to watch then in Japanese with english subs, and a lot of anime fans can't stand subtitles and go with dubbed, which is a shame. Very few titles are dubbed well.

      --
      I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
    14. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      Really these people like dubbing?
      I do not watch anime really, but in foreign films I much prefer subtitles. Dubbing always looks distractingly wrong.

    15. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by GiveBenADollar · · Score: 1

      I dunno, without pirated copies of Eva and Trigun I would never have gotten into anime. I've purchased a few box sets that I would otherwise have not known about. Same is true with music. Without MP3s I would never have gotten interested in music. I dunno if I'm the norm or the exception, but in my own life pirating things has directly led to purchases that otherwise would not take place.

    16. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by shakesoda! · · Score: 1

      +1

      If it wasn't for having pirated music/games/anime/programs/etc there are countless things I wouldn't have ever bought or even known about.

    17. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      See, that makes sense.

      The whiny kids belong to the cross section that is too young to have any income and wouldn't spend their allowance no matter what. They don't hate spending money per say, but they'd rather spend it on tangible things they can't get anywhere else for free short of much riskier illegal maneuvers, like junk food, clothes or game consoles...

      Eventually they grow up, get jobs and manage their disposable income, at which point they will be much more likely to buy the dvds than if they hadn't been exposed, even if they were technically downloading things for free with no intent to remunerate the authors at some point0.

    18. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by Christopher+Fritz · · Score: 1

      Very few titles are dubbed well.

      I'm as much a sub purist as the next sub purist, but there have been many very decent dubs by a number of companies in the past five years. Probably a few years even before that, but that goes beyond the start of my disposable income.

      Anything that shows on daytime TV will probably be censored and reworded. However, many straight-to-DVD series I've seen were well dubbed, counting translation, voices for characters, voice acting, and even lip syncing most of the time.

      I realize that whether a dub is liked or not is subjective. I loved the English dubs for "Princess Tutu", "Petite Princess Yucie", "Haibane Renmei", "Azumanga Daioh", "Bamboo Blade", and more. But I also had trouble tolerating the "Kanon" dub (due to voices), and "DNAngel" had some voices that were difficult for me to get used to. And I'm sure there are others I didn't care for in English that I simply don't recall offhand.

      There will still be bad dubs out there, or (technically) decent dubs with bad voice actors (for the roles they're playing). That said, this isn't 1996. "Sailor Moon" and "Dragon Ball Z" are not representative of dubs from the last five or more years.

      I'm saying this generally, not directed at v1 specifically for saying these are few well-dubbed titles. I'm going to assume v1's given a few dubs a proper chance in the past five years, but if anyone else is sour on dubs and hasn't, you could be missing out.

      As for me, I'll continue to watch shows in Japanese first. It helps keep my meager Japanese vocabulary from worsening, and I get to enjoy the characters as they originally were. But I'll also enjoy it in English (if the dub is tolerable) as I can better sit back and relax while watching, not having to worry about giving each subtitle a one-second glance to take in the translation of each line.

    19. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by Christopher+Fritz · · Score: 1

      Really these people like dubbing?
      I do not watch anime really, but in foreign films I much prefer subtitles. Dubbing always looks distractingly wrong.

      Keep in mind, it's a little easier to dub an animated character's mouth being closed, open, closed, open, closed, open, closed from "ohayo" into "good morning" than it would be in a live action film, where the character's mouth and face have many frames of muscle movement.

      This is actually an area where it seems (anime) dubbers sometimes cannot win. There will be a line said, and the only way to reasonably get the line to fit the mouth movements is to tweak it a little, changing the line while still retaining the same meaning, and fans will complain about it. But if they left the line as a direct translation, it wouldn't have fit the mouth movements, and fans will complain about that.

      Granted, I haven't been a part of any anime forums in years, so maybe fans don't complain anymore?

    20. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I find that there are more pedophiles that watch anime than homosexes. I mean, Japan makes it so easy! What with awesome shows like Kodomo no Jikan, Boku no Pico, Azumanga Daioh, Card Captor Sakura, Yotsuba&!, Mitsudomoe, Lucky Star, Moetan, Rizelmine, Minami-ke,Nanaho, Kanamemo, Ichigo Mashimaro, Gunslinger Girl, PaniPoniDash, Rozen Maiden, Ryofuko-chan, and Bottle Fairy and all.

    21. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      You sure know a lot about this topic.

    22. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't you judge me!

    23. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I swear, I thought they were 18!

    24. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 1

      I've bought several anime series because they became available on fansubs.
      I've also started watching some on TV because of fan subs.

      However- I won't buy Anime which
      a) is overpriced (please-- $24 for 4 of 80 episodes? TV shows cost $20 for 18 to 24 episodes. That's a reasonable price for anime. Plus- do the math... $24*20 = $480 for one anime show. A bit unreasonable).
      b) I'm never going to watch again. I used to do this. I used to buy regular hollywood material too. But I realized I wasn't watching the DVD's for 90%. So I now only buy things I'm sure i'll watch a second time. I have a drawer full of stuff I won't watch again. I don't know... maybe I'll watch the Slayers again someday. It was fun. But so far, years and nope.

      --
      She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    25. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by Imrik · · Score: 2

      While fansub viewers may greatly outnumber buyers, buyers who watch fansubs greatly outnumber those that don't. Without fansubs there would be almost no market for anime outside of Japan. Even the shows that actually make it to regular television generally have fansubs to thank for their popularity.

    26. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by wisty · · Score: 1

      Good point - downloaders are often teenagers who can't and won't pay for anything. As long as a few are still buying, then it's free advertising, right? And they'll buy the merchandise as well - ask George Lucas how that can work out.

      But the US "entertainment" industry isn't interested in free advertising. The US entertainment industry doens't care if the artists make money. They want to control the whole channel - advertising, promotions, dodgey deals with reviewers, blocking distibuters who sell independent lables.

      In a world where the artists can connect with fans more efficiently, the middlemen get cut out.

      Guess who's raising the biggest fuss?

    27. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by kyrio · · Score: 0

      Sure, if you're talking about the filthy mass of Brazilians ruining the Internet for everyone. They ruin everything, though.

    28. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by TiggsPanther · · Score: 1

      Very few titles are dubbed well.

      This isn't entirely true, certainly not anymore. And I say this as a subtitle fan. I've seen enough clips, and entire episodes (granted, of stuff I saw subbed first...) and the dubbing these days is actually pretty damned good. The quality is improving over time. And that can only be a good thing. Should I ever want to intruduce a non-subtitle watcher to a new show, I can do it without my ears bleeding. ;-)

      I think it mainly comes down to personal preference.
      My interest in anime (and other Japanese shows) has contributed to (and is increased by) my interest in Japanese language and culture. So my preference remains to the original langue version. Obivously manga and novels I have to read in English, owing to my lack of real Japanese skill. But subtitles means I can enjoy the original performance, in its original langue, with original inflections, yet still understand what is going on.
      And that is the same regardless of the quality of the dubbing. A good dub does, however, mean I can rewatch something (or go sub-free when my eyes are tired) and actually enjoy the overall show.

      Maybe if dubs had been this good back in the 1990s my preferences would be different. It's certainly possible, and would explain why more people seem to like the dubs these days. And I don't have a problem with that, as long as the discs continue to have the subs on.

      --
      Tiggs
      "120 chars should be enough for everyone..."
    29. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by noidentity · · Score: 1

      Anime is a great sample subject when the question is whether Anime piracy is beneficial to publishers. Though if it is, I think it should be called what it is: free (viral) marketing.

    30. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by SuricouRaven · · Score: 1

      It depends on the dubbing company. The usual expectation for them is that the dub will not be for anime fans, but instead broadcast on TV as a general cartoon for non-anime-fans. Thus they'll often try to de-Japan the program. Changing character names, removing references to locations in Japan and replacing them with locations in the US*, altering depictions of Japanese cultural practices, toning down the violence in expectation of a younger audience and more easily concerned parents**, taking out Japanese text even if that means leaving signs blank***. Dialog has been altered so that dead characters are instead merely banished, and i some cases entire characters excised.

      *Tokyo Mew Mew is particually blatant about this, being renamed Hollywood Mew Mew. The Pokemon movie dub also contains a joke about most vikings being from Minnesota for the same reason.

      **Naruto was most infamous for this. A program with a lot of sword fights, in which the dubbers refused to permit the appearance of swords. Other shows have gone so far as replacing guns with water pistols.

      ***Was it Digimon that features a class stareing at a blank blackboard as a teacher wrote with invisible chalk?

    31. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your comment on fansubbing is well taken, but this is about anime *in Japan* - fansubbing, by definition, pretty much only matters outside of Japan.

      That said, it's still a useful thing there, too. I was just listening to a radio show that had one of the original Neon Genesis Evangelion voice actors as a guest last night, and he mentioned that fansubs are actually good for the anime industry because it gives distributers in the USA a clue as to which rights to buy - it tells them what will actually be popular in the USA and what will sell well.

    32. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by sjwt · · Score: 1

      I really like watching the English sub titles with English dubs, its amazing where they differ.

      --
      You have 5 Moderator Points!
      Which Helpless Linux zealot/MS basher do you want to mod down today?
    33. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is something that always amazes me when I encounter it - Prince of Tennis in particular was markedly better done by the Fansubbers than the official release. I planned to buy the entire series over time, but stopped after the first few sets because the quality of the official release was drastically inferior. My rule of thumb is to buy anything I watch more than once.

    34. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by Christopher+Fritz · · Score: 1

      It depends on the dubbing company. The usual expectation for them is that the dub will not be for anime fans, but instead broadcast on TV as a general cartoon for non-anime-fans. Thus they'll often try to de-Japan the program.

      It's almost hard to believe that they're still doing that, but at the same time I can see it for anything intended for children and to be played on television. I've been buying up straight-to-DVD releases from RightStuf.com the past four years.

      I think "Seven of Seven" is the last one I remember that outright rewrote a few lines and a scene for the dub, which was due to the scenes involving English language and humor based on that. For example, in one scene in Japanese, a little American girl says to the main character, "Are you ready?" and the Japanese main character says, "Yes, I'm a lady." For the dub, the little girl says "Are you ready?" and the main character says, "Ready for what?" I guess "Bamboo Blade" had similar with an English-speaking character in a couple of episodes, where they gave her a "gangsta" way of talking in the English dub to compensate.

      For series intended for televised released, I do agree with you, SuricouRaven. Brock making donuts rather than rice balls, everything done to Sailomoon by DiC, the cut-and-paste fest that was the US Cardcaptor Sakura (which I've read about, but thankfully not seen more than half an episode of, as well as watching the first movie dubbed just to quality I thankfully missed out on), and the effort to remove religion from Saint Tail (a series which takes place in a Catholic school, with a nun for one of the main characters! And that series didn't even make it to television as intended, so it was a straight-to-DVD), those are definitely something unnecessary for some of them, and outright disasters for the rest.

      Actually, with those series in mind, I'd add to your list of changes: removing religion, removing things that might upset religious parents (such as tarot cards), removing scenes with comic violence (such as Melvin in Sailormoon being hit in the face with a party streamer), removing "inappropriate relationships" (making Zoicite female, and making Neptune and Uranus cousins in Sailormoon), and trying to change the target audience to increase viewership (making Cardcaptor Sakura into a series for young male viewers.)

      For straight-to-DVD series that were clearly never intended for television release (as far as I would imagine), however, I know the next time I watch "Petite Princess Yucie", "A Little Snow Fairy Sugar", and "Bamboo Blade", it's going to be a coin toss to decide which language to listen in, because the dub is that good.

    35. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by v1 · · Score: 1

      I really like watching the English sub titles with English dubs, its amazing where they differ.

      Agreed. It's interesting to see what gets changed. I'm learning more japanese every day, and I occasionally spot translation mistakes which can be fun.

      On rare occasion I watch anime english dubbed because the japanese voice actors were poorly chosen. Hellsing is an excellent example. Among other things, Alfred, the 160 lb beanpole of a butler, sounds like a sumo wrestler.

      --
      I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
    36. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by Rubinstien · · Score: 1

      I have copies of many of my favorite anime either as fan subs or Korean-made English dubs, and some just in the original Japanese with no English at all, but bought the U.S. releases as soon as they were available. Sometimes that was ten years after my initial purchase. But I do currently own a "legitimate" copy of everything. I actually like some of the subs better -- they sometimes dumb down the English dialog to fit the mouth movements better. A (good) sub gives you the audio cues for emotion from the original actors, along with a more accurate representation of the meaning.

    37. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by cheekyjohnson · · Score: 1

      Eventually they grow up

      No they don't. You'll understand that when you're older.

      --
      Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
    38. Re:anime may be a bad sample subject by DaVince21 · · Score: 1

      That doesn't make it a bad sample subject. It makes it one where you can clearly indicate what could be the cause of better sales, moreso than, say, DRM-infested games.

      --
      I am not devoid of humor.
  5. Pirated copies are good for viewing... by Mage66 · · Score: 1

    But, for a permanent place in a collection, the better produced DVDs with extra content are much preferable. I buy the DVDs of the shows I like as soon as they are released. Pirated stuff isn't good enough to be a "keeper".

    1. Re:Pirated copies are good for viewing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you look carefully you'll probably find 4 gb ISOs of the DVDs you want. It's hard to argue that a flawless copy isn't "good enough".

    2. Re:Pirated copies are good for viewing... by guardiangod · · Score: 1

      Exactly. A good analogy would be geeks who buy the Blu-ray edition of Star Trek TV series- the shows are exactly the same as they were 50 years ago. The fans aren't buying the 'new edition' so that they can watch it for the 10th time. They are buying it for collection sake.
       
      Anime are aired on TV weekly, and if you missed that, there are always online illegal streaming sites that you can catch. Downloading the episode is just another way to watch.

    3. Re:Pirated copies are good for viewing... by loufoque · · Score: 1

      Optimal media still exist? They're a thing of the past. They're not practical and they take place.
      You can put thousands of them on a hard disk drive with easier access.

      Also DVDs have crappy subtitles compared to what software softsubs can do.

    4. Re:Pirated copies are good for viewing... by __aawkdb2598 · · Score: 1

      But, for a permanent place in a collection, the better produced DVDs with extra content are much preferable. I buy the DVDs of the shows I like as soon as they are released. Pirated stuff isn't good enough to be a "keeper".

      Not actually true in my experience. I've found that, at least for content released in the US, you can usually find a fansubbing group who did a magnificently better job than whatever group got the US license. There's still worth in buying the US versions to support the industry, but the industry is often producing in months or years a worse product than you can get for free hours after the episode airs in Japan.

      Good fansubbing groups are much more conscientious about typography, timing, translation, and explanation than I generally see from the industry. AND I get the whole thing in an easily portable, easily convertible format with neat soft subs. What's not to love?

      Buy the DVD and if you're not subjected to horrible voiceovers from the same five people who seem to do every anime ever produced in the US* then you'll have horrible, solid yellow or white, aliased, blocky, poorly-wrapped subtitles that make all kinds of weird decisions about what to translate and how. And I've never seen a U.S. industry release that will translate signs, messages on cell phones, blackboards, notes, etc., much less in the right location on screen and in a font that matches the spirit of the original writing.

      If the anime industry in the US ever wants to complain about sales these are the things they should fix. *Disclaimer, there may be some slightly irate exaggeration and/or hyperbole in this statement. Viewer discretion is advised.

    5. Re:Pirated copies are good for viewing... by Mage66 · · Score: 1

      Fansubbing isn't the issue. The article talks about Japanese productions in Japan. I'm talking about English language productions in english speaking countries, comparing like to like. All the talk about fansubbed unauthorized copies is off-topic.

    6. Re:Pirated copies are good for viewing... by mauthbaux · · Score: 1

      In a lot of cases, I'd agree with you. Unfortunately, the release schedule stateside is fairly ridiculous. Take Soul Eater for example. Originally broadcast in high def in Japan, episodes were subbed and sent to the streaming sites within a couple of days. Funimation took nearly a year after the original broadcast to start releasing the DVDs (in SD) here in the states. High-def legitimate versions of the series are still unavailable (nearly 3 years after the original broadcast).

      Example 2: FLCL.. 6 episode series, 24 minutes each. Originally released here for $30 a disc, and each disc contained only 2 episodes. Do the math, and you end up paying around $0.63 per minute... At the same rate, the first season of the series "Fringe" would cost $630.00 instead of the $30 (approx) it's currently retailing for. Corporate greed and obscene levels of markup drive a lot of us to find other means of acquiring entertainment. It's gotten better recently, but still not on par with domestic releases.

      Honestly, I've got a couple hundred legally purchased anime discs on my shelves. There's a lot more that I would purchase if it were available, but there simply no reasonable commercial means of acquiring it.

      --
      "Operating systems suck: you're better off using only the BIOS" --trainsaw.com
    7. Re:Pirated copies are good for viewing... by Mage66 · · Score: 1

      You still miss the point. The article isn't about Japanese films being pirated in the U.S. It's about Japanese films in Japan. I'm speaking about American films in and TV shows in America. Any talk about Fansubbing or foreign films is off the point. They are special cases.

    8. Re:Pirated copies are good for viewing... by SuricouRaven · · Score: 1

      This household has two large racks of DVDs. I don't think we've watched any in months. We don't actually watch that many films, and still have two large racks. So if that's what we have, any serious collector must need a good chunk of their living room given over to them.

    9. Re:Pirated copies are good for viewing... by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      Trek was shot on film. So there is some potential there for gaining something from a Blu Ray release.

      It's much like any other movie of it's era.

      Whether or not there's any point to seeing Trek in all of it's 35mm glory is another matter. A couple of the Trek movies have gotten terrible reviews for video quality when they were released on BluRay. This is a potential issue with ANY BluRay title regardless of whether or not you have another copy already.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
  6. Target Audience problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm not sure you can apply the idea to the typical US film being pirated by English speaking people.

    There's a lot of anime which never get a US release, so the only way for non-Japanese speaking viewers to watch it is via "fansubbing" (which is a form of piracy).
    In essence, the Japanese companies aren't really losing much as their target audience isn't outside Japan.

    As for the Japanese, most of these early fansubs are just subtitles added to TV recordings, so they could grab the same content from TV for free.

    Whether this affects US releases of the anime is another thing.

  7. What a lie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Piracy doesn't boost anything. It takes away jobs from well deserving people. I know because the RIAA told me so.

    1. Re:What a lie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Please read the headpost before posting, you find your answers there.

    2. Re:What a lie by Stregano · · Score: 1

      I need to read better. I seriously had 3 big paragraphs ready for you and then I read the end. You win the battle, but I will win the war. And Knowing if half the battle

      --
      The world is how you make it
    3. Re:What a lie by Samantha+Wright · · Score: 1

      So did you fail the "knowing" part of the battle, or the rest?

      --
      Bio questions? Ask me to start a Q&A journal. Computer analogies available for most topics!
    4. Re:What a lie by Pseudonym+Authority · · Score: 1

      And the other half is violence.

  8. Well... by msauve · · Score: 3, Insightful

    so what? Whether it's good or bad, it's still copyright infringement. The most this study could argue for is to encourage copyright holders to ignore piracy. It does not provide an excuse, or even a rationalization, for piracy. If you're looking for an ethical out, this isn't it.

    It says nothing about the real problem with copyright, the continual extension of terms. Disney got rich copying from Mark Twain, Bros. Grimm, Aesop, etc., yet wants to prevent others from doing the exact same to them. THAT is the problem. As Lawrence Lessig has (unsuccessfully) argued, copyright exists to encourage the creation of works ("promote the progress of Science and the Useful Arts," in the US), and extending copyright on existing works does nothing to achieve that.

    I have no problem with laws protecting IP for limited periods (relative to the useful lifetime - longer for philosophical works, shorter for technological ones), but I do have a problem with keeping those works from the public domain indefinitely.

    --
    "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    1. Re:Well... by geekoid · · Score: 1

      because they copyright holders use the fake number to create stricter laws, and harsher punishment They sue them in order to get the FBI to storm peoples homes.

      That's why it matters. So people can be informed and shoot down those BS arguments.

      Most people pay for what they get. Every song on iTunes can eb found, quite easily, on a torrent somewhere. all of them. Yet Apple sells Billions of songs.

      I Agree with you the copyright is far too long. I'm not argue that at all.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    2. Re:Well... by Hatta · · Score: 1

      Whether it's good or bad, it's still copyright infringement. The most this study could argue for is to encourage copyright holders to ignore piracy. It does not provide an excuse, or even a rationalization, for piracy. If you're looking for an ethical out, this isn't it.

      The only justification for the existence of copyright is to "promote the progress of science and the useful arts". If copyright fails to do that, then any claim to moral legitimacy of copyright law is null. It may not provide a legal excuse, but justice is never an excuse under unjust laws.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    3. Re:Well... by Sparx139 · · Score: 2

      I'm not sure what can really be done to change copyright duration. At this stage, nobody is talking to anyone else and the situation is only getting worse as the views of the most vocal out of both crowds become increasingly polarised. The *AA's stance on copyright is well known, and opposing it we have "Operation Payback is a Bitch". I have to wonder what would happen if instead of this escalating 'war' - some new, draconian way to prevent infringement, which is cracked within a week - record companies had accepted piracy was going to happen and attempted a rational response.

      The current state of copyright protection and laws isn't helping anybody, and the only people who are getting hurt are the honest customers - Various company's (most recently Ubisoft)'s game-breaking DRM, the Sony rootkit, the heavy handedness of the *AA's response when they find someone they can accuse of copyright infringement*, they're driving their own customers away, in what appears to be the death throes of a failing business model. On the other side we've got Anonymous. Enough said.

      The only hope I can see is for the various Pirate Parties to gain some sort of influence. I mean, we occasionally hear about it, but I've never once seen them mentioned in the mainstream media (In countries such as Sweden it might be different, I don't know). That, and the *AA need to stop this crusade and start considering the idea of rational discussion. Of course, the day that happens is the day unicorns will frolic in the grass whilst it rains beer.

      --
      Our culture doesn't get smarter, it just finds new ways of being retarded.
    4. Re:Well... by vadim_t · · Score: 2

      You're looking at it the wrong way, I think.

      A business, which manga and anime production are very much, is into it for the money, not for some philosophical goal of obtaining a 1 viewer to 1 buyer ratio at any cost.

      So if ignoring piracy makes more money then a good business would ignore the piracy and make more money.

      so what? Whether it's good or bad, it's still copyright infringement. The most this study could argue for is to encourage copyright holders to ignore piracy. It does not provide an excuse, or even a rationalization, for piracy. If you're looking for an ethical out, this isn't it.

      Well, and why is it a bad thing? In my view, the main reason why piracy could be said to be morally wrong is that it economically harms the people who make the anime. If however it turns out it benefits them, then there's no harm and for me without harm there's no moral wrong. There's your ethical rationalization.

    5. Re:Well... by commodore64_love · · Score: 2

      >>>If you're looking for an ethical out, this isn't it.

      I have an ethical out: Hollywood won't let return these that are crap. Even candybar makers advertise, "Satisfaction guaranteed or return for a refund." Why can't CD and DVD sellers make the same promise? So I download to avoid throwing-away my money on shit movies (like transformers 2). I would buy this stuff legally if T2 was returning, but since it isn't, and I don't want to throw-away $20, I watch it first before buying.

      And don't try to argue that I should read reviews. Those things are bought-and-paid-for by the companies, and therefore worthless.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    6. Re:Well... by h4rr4r · · Score: 3, Insightful

      And what exactly is wrong with copyright infringement?

    7. Re:Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Whether it's good or bad, it's still alcohol. Who cares if it boost the economy and we're adding to crime by making it illegal? The law is the law." /If the prohibition era had not ended because of thinking like yours.

    8. Re:Well... by msauve · · Score: 1

      Tell me why a person has no right to profit from their labor, and I'll answer your question.

      --
      "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    9. Re:Well... by Holyflame · · Score: 1

      Ethics aside, i would not know about 95% of the anime out there that i do enjoy watching with out getting them off fansub/torrent sites. I have around 100 dvd/dvd sets of series i like, i would have exactly 0 if i did not download them to see if i like them. The only anime i would know that exists would be pokemon and sailor moon and a few others like that, not exactly programs i would watch. What tv station(in canada) has good anime on it that i could watch and see if i do enjoy it? That would go a long way to helping get more sales as well, but till they do that, torrents work just as well.

    10. Re:Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      > I have no problem with laws protecting IP for limited periods

      Please refrain from using such an expression ("IP") for the following reasons:
      1) It encompasses too different things (e.g., copyright and patents) and thus causes a lot of confusion because one can be misled to apply the same reasoning (and decisions!) to apples and oranges;
      2) It opens an even larger breach to allow inclusion of even future, unconceivable legal constructs, thus leading society to a situation which can be frontally contrarian to our very human nature;
      3) The words themselves are an oxymoron of sorts... "intellectual" being something related to both ingenuity and art (two very different areas) and "property" (something which one gets to keep to oneself and deny others)... as the old adage goes, what is said cannot be taken back, because it pertains to everyone. No idea, once put on paper or discussed, can be "property". If one wants to keep something to her/himself, one must not say it. Ever.

      There's a harsh fight between a working capitalist system, which has served well the public till now, and some deviant corporations with monopolistic/antisocial behaviour which would stop at nothing to achieve whatever objectives they have. It's not about profit anymore, it's about "total control". Controlling ideas is a necessary step in such strategy. "IP" is the materialization of a non-existent concept which, if allowed, could become a powerful weapon to restrict Freedom.

    11. Re:Well... by robot256 · · Score: 2

      The study asserts that, at least in this isolated case, the act of copyright infringement results in more profit for the creators, not less. Tell me why this wrong, and I'll answer yours.

    12. Re:Well... by mdielmann · · Score: 1

      You bring up two points, and they intertwine.

      First, is it good or bad? It seems that in the case of anime, it's good.

      Second, it's copyright infringement. Sorry, but I'm not of the opinion that just because a law has been passed that it signifies something important. Moreover, in some cases, breaking the law is more important than keeping the law. For instance, I walk down the street, glance through a window, and see someone in need of medical attention. Do I leave them to die, or commit breaking and entering? In other cases, the law is wrong. The classic example is Rosie Parks. "Whether it's good or bad, it's still anti-segregation...I have no problem with laws protecting segregation, so long as we don't require separate buses for them colored folk." It sounds like a ridiculous statement, doesn't it, and there are people who believe that IP laws encroach on our freedoms just as much as segregation did.

      --
      Sure I'm paranoid, but am I paranoid enough?
    13. Re:Well... by Lloyd_Bryant · · Score: 1

      Tell me why a person has no right to profit from their labor, and I'll answer your question.

      It's not an issue of "has no right to profit from their labor". It's an issue of "has no right to always profit any time any person anywhere views/listens to the work they produced".

      The media companies aren't in danger of going bankrupt, despite their constant whining and moaning about how piracy is killing their business. They are still quite profitable. They just aren't making the profits they *think* they should be making, based on the assumption that anytime anyone, anywhere, views/listens to a work they created, they should get paid for it.

      I would strongly agree that if someone is making a profit from selling a work, then the creator of the work deserves a share of that profit. But I also strongly disagree that the creator deserves to make a profit every time someone sees/hears the work.

      --
      Don't tell me to get a life. I had one once. It sucked.
    14. Re:Well... by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      Because they only have the right to try to profit from their labor. I sometimes use my labor to play video games and no one pays me. Same with most of my software development and any art I create. You have no entitlement to profit.

      Tell me why a government granted monopoly is the only way they can do that?

    15. Re:Well... by kronosopher · · Score: 2

      wouldn't it be fair to say that the labor for profit game is antiquated by the propensity of labor to be automated? and by extension, the idea of copyright is rendered obsolete.

    16. Re:Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Copyright isn't a right to profit. I can spend many hours writing a terrible book that won't sell. I don't have a right to profit from it.

    17. Re:Well... by VortexCortex · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Tell me why a person has no right to profit from their labor, and I'll answer your question.

      The product of your labour is only valuable due to the fact it includes huge portions of the public culture's resources.
      Language - Did you invent the language your work is produced in? Did you invent the concepts and notions of word play, drama, suspense or modern cinematic treatments thereof?

      No. You are standing on the shoulders of giants -- In proportion to your own work, the inclusion of the public culture's resources far outweighs your contribution to any thought-product protected by copyright.

      Many Inventions are far more creative and/or useful than the works of film-makers or authors, yet the former only receive a ~20 year monopoly with which they may profit from their creations. Copyright holders enjoy a monopoly over their creations for Lifetime + 70 years -- THAT'S TWO GENERATIONS OF HUMANS AND THEIR CULTURE!

      The original intent of copyright law was not to prevent the general public from making reproductions, or remixes of a copyrighted work. Originally, copyrights were enacted to prevent Publishers form abusing the public and creators of works -- Publishing contracts currently provide them an end-run around this. Copyright laws have been turned against the general public and the content authors. Copyright violations are so prevalent largely due to the fact that copying is so cheap that reproductions are essentially in infinite supply -- Economics 101: Regardless of production cost; Price tends toward zero as supply increases to infinity.

      I do not have a license to make reproductions of a DVD, yet it must surely be duplicated at least FOUR TIMES PER VIEW (once within the DVD SATA cache, once in main RAM, another in my VIDEO CARD, and a fourth on my monitor's display). I must break copyright laws under which you operate completely no less than 4 times to consume your works; That's what I call irrelevant laws. (Note, only recently have I been allowed to legally view most DVDs on Linux -- I compiled the player myself == unlicensed player).

      The very state of the culture itself is what makes your product have worth.

      Please explain how much worth any thought-media is in proportion to the entire human culture's collective contribution to said work. Please explain how relevant pay-per copy models are now that copies are in infinite supply. Please explain to me why basic economic principals do not apply to industries that profit from copyright.

      When you can fully explain to me why continued abuse of the general public is allowed instead of reformation of the ancient copyright laws considering that 200 years of technological advancement have made the laws irrelevant, then I'll extrapolate the amount you may earn by producing those works -- It may be a negative amount due to the harm that abused copyright laws have caused the public.

      If not for "piracy" there would be no incentive to change the model -- The Piracy epidemic exists because modern technology has rendered the pay-per-copy model irrelevant.

      I agree that creators should be compensated for their works, but I do not agree to TWO GENERATIONS OF MONOPOLY for works that are only a small fraction original. I can see why some would, in protest, ignore copyright laws in order to offset the absurdity of the state of copyright laws -- CAN YOU NOT?

    18. Re:Well... by Draek · · Score: 2

      so what? Whether it's good or bad, it's still copyright infringement. The most this study could argue for is to encourage copyright holders to ignore piracy. It does not provide an excuse, or even a rationalization, for piracy. If you're looking for an ethical out, this isn't it.

      Ethics is irrelevant of the law, so the fact that it's still copyright infringement doesn't affect whether it's good or bad.

      I have no problem with laws protecting IP for limited periods (relative to the useful lifetime - longer for philosophical works, shorter for technological ones)

      And inflict upon ourselves the hell of every copyright creator and their dog trying to claim their work, regardless of media or content, mysteriously falls under the category with the longest terms? or worse yet, *change* the work so it fits?

      It'll be great seeing the protagonist of a comedy suddenly jump into a philosophical diatribe just so the studio can get a couple extra years out of it. Oh, wait, it won't. Fixed terms, to be determined by scientific studies looking to maximize the number of works on the Public Domain, it's the only way to do it properly and painlessly.

      --
      No problem is insoluble in all conceivable circumstances.
    19. Re:Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Whether it's good or bad, it's still copyright infringement.

      It doesn't have to be. None of our laws are written in stone.

    20. Re:Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      An ethical out? By what normative ethical theory? All you have to do is be a complete irrealist about ethics. BAM. Problem solved.

      And you know what? Most people are. They just come up with nicer, dumber ways to say it like "whatever works for you, man".

    21. Re:Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am kinda the opposite, the only anime I have is from downloads, I don't own any on DVD (even though I own in excess of 300 DVD's and blu-ray), I usually buy DVD's after downloads to get a better quality, however with anime there really is no need for the DVD copy as picture improvements are extremely minimal over the ripped copies.

    22. Re:Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The 'media companies' (i.e. publishers and editors) will go bankrupt not because of copyright infringement but because artists and other media makers will one day widely sell their media on their own, on the Internet.
      Right now most artists don't realize how easy it is to set up a website, put your music or even movies or games on it, and let people buy your stuff there, directly from you, and giving you 100% of the money instead of having a "publisher" in the middle leeching most of the cash they pay for your work. Once artists start doing this, the publishers will become useless and go bankrupt.

      I also believe that the reason why the media industry attacks 'pirates' so much is not because they believe in 'lost sales'. Instead, I think they want to make file sharing and other forms of media downloading difficult and unpopular. They know they're doomed if artists set up their own websites to sell their music and media themselves, so they want to make artists believe media downloading doesn't work well at all except for iPods and that the CD is still the way to go.
      Well that, and lawsuits for copyright infringement are a great source of money. Those suits are not justice, they're just business.

      Don't be fooled people, the media industry knows that 'piracy' is good for their business and boosts sales in many ways despite some 'pirates' never buying any media. People used to record music on the radio all the time and that never seemed to be a problem to the media industry. If they thought radio recording was bad they would have stopped putting their music on the radio a long time ago.

    23. Re:Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You seem to be making the argument that copyright infringement causes a loss of profits. You may be interested to know that a recent study has found that the exact opposite of what you suggest occurs.

    24. Re:Well... by noidentity · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Disney got rich copying from Mark Twain, Bros. Grimm, Aesop, etc., yet wants to prevent others from doing the exact same to them.

      Thanks, this never clicked for me until now. Sure, I've heard people say how they "stole" these things, but that always came across as hyperbole because they never prevented anyone from reading the originals. But what you said puts the inconsistency in plain view: Mark Twain's work wasn't hundreds of years old when Disney made things based on it, yet the copyright extensions pushed by Disney etc. will make it at least that long until anyone derive from Disney's work.

    25. Re:Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If the goal is to "promote the progress of science and the useful arts", why stop at copyright? Advertising of a scientific or artistic product is just as important to its progress than copyright protection. Why not legislate how and when the company can advertise?
      What about the business model? Maybe we can legislate on the internal structure of a business, what products they can sell, when and how. Freedom shmeedom, if we set it up so that the law specifies how the business must run they shouldn't care about their freedoms, right?
      But the law is too slow to act, and the law is always injust, I hear you cry. Not a problem! I've thought of that too! Maybe instead of having an elected government determine the law, we can let the whiny, undisciplined youth of Generation Me determine all of this from the comfort of their own homes, via the internet. I mean, personally, when I hear of the massive piracy of the latest Hollywood blockbuster, the first thing I think of is how thoughtful and generous those pirates might be, not thinking of themselves or their own satisfaction, not at all; but concerned for the injustice of their legal system, how they are doing their best going out of their way to "promote the progrss of science and the useful arts". Surely that's the reason people pirate, isn't it?

    26. Re:Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yet, piracy must remain piracy. I don't see how it could possibly help sales for a company to come out and say, "Yeah, it's ok, go ahead ad copy whatever you want."

      It's in the best interest for companies to prusue a condition where it's not simply allowed, and neither stamped out entirely, but instead publicly shamed and capriciously enforced.

      I fail to see how that condition, above all others, would be a goal of the readers of a forum like slashdot. I suppose more research is needed to prove/disprove my assertion in the first paragraph, though.

    27. Re:Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure. Care to define "crap"? Can you tell me, in a purely objective sense, what makes a "crap" movie?
      Could it not be that you can't get money back for something like that because its quality is purely a subjective matter?
      The "satisfaction guarantee" on a candy bar is there to let you return it if it was poorly manufactured, used inferior ingredients or, say, went bad before its use-by. It isn't there to let you return it because you think it tastes bad. It's not there to let you return a chocolate bar because you don't like the taste of chocolate.
      I mean, are you insane? What kind of company would let you get a refund for something that can't be proven? A company that's going out of business, that's what.
      Ever been to a restaurant? A fast food outlet? Can you honestly say you 100% enjoyed the taste of every single meal you've ever had? Did you return the ones you didn't like? No? Right, because that would be incredibly stupid, a lot like your post.

    28. Re:Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd have to see it as unethical before I'd feel the need to look for an "ethical out". Maybe you meant a "legal out".

    29. Re:Well... by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      > Tell me why a person has no right to profit from their labor, and I'll answer your question.

      There is no such right. You just made that up.

      On the other hand, I do have a right to speak freely and control my own property. You should not be able to interfere with either.

      Also, the "product of your own labor" is infact a product of the commons. That commons needs to be available for the next generation.

      Creative works are not property. Any monopoly that is associated with them exists purely to increase the commons for the next generation.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    30. Re:Well... by Raenex · · Score: 1

      And don't try to argue that I should read reviews. Those things are bought-and-paid-for by the companies, and therefore worthless.

      Yes, because every review on the planet is bought and paid for, including those of your friends and people talking in online forums.

    31. Re:Well... by Erikderzweite · · Score: 1

      It does. Making a copy of a product does not forbid selling another copy. That's the beauty of digital artworks.
      Even more, it resulst in more sales, as the study shows, similar to public libraries (the adversaries of which were using virtually the same arguments as *AAs today) boosting book sales.
      Your "copyright infringement" is a price which a creator has to pay in order to be able to create infinite number of identical copies of the original work at virtually no cost. A fair price, which I as a software developer am willing to pay gladly.

  9. A Japanese government study? by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

    Was it done by the Department in Charge of Gundam?

    --
    #DeleteChrome
  10. Anime FANSUBS create a market where there was none by Bonker · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You think U.S. fans would know what to expect from a title like Bakemonogatari is without having seen a fansub first?

    Turns out that the aforementioned title is a popular romantic fantasy story about a young ex-vampire and the various supernatural girls he meets. Its title is probably best translated as 'Ghost Story'.

    Despite the relative obscurity of both the story and the source material, It has a fairly strong U.S. fanbase that will likely make publishing a run of Region 1 DVDs profitable for both the Japanese and North American companies involved.

    Without fansubs, that market simply wouldn't exist and everyone would miss out.

    --
    The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and slashdot the links early!
  11. Re:Anime FANSUBS create a market where there was n by Microlith · · Score: 1

    It has a fairly strong U.S. fanbase that will likely make publishing a run of Region 1 DVDs profitable for both the Japanese and North American companies involved.

    You can say that but I suspect the fanbase is, like most show-specific fanbases in Anime, small, vocal, and won't hesitate to find any excuse to not buy.

  12. The **AA is actually right by erroneus · · Score: 2

    The **AA doesn't want to sell CDs and DVDs any longer. They are too expensive. They are already making like 1000% profit, but those costs of publishing are eating into their ability to get even more money. They want to "sell" content that expires in a short time so that people have to buy it over and over and over again while at the same time, the publishers don't have to manufacture anything at all!

    They want their money for nothing and having to spend money to make it is a highly limiting factor... the difference between limited and limitless.

    This is what they want. Make no mistake about it. And as long as digital copies without limits and expirations, there will be perceived losses.

    1. Re:The **AA is actually right by thestudio_bob · · Score: 1

      They want their money for nothing...

      ...and your chicks for free!.

      --
      The real Sig captains the Northwestern. This one captains /.
    2. Re:The **AA is actually right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The **AA doesn't want to sell CDs and DVDs any longer. They are too expensive. They are already making like 1000% profit, but those costs of publishing are eating into their ability to get even more money. They want to "sell" content that expires in a short time so that people have to buy it over and over and over again while at the same time, the publishers don't have to manufacture anything at all!

      They want their money for nothing and having to spend money to make it is a highly limiting factor... the difference between limited and limitless.

      This is what they want. Make no mistake about it. And as long as digital copies without limits and expirations, there will be perceived losses.

      We already got content that expires in short time, it is called radio and it is free.

    3. Re:The **AA is actually right by rusl · · Score: 1

      we gotta move these microwave ovens!

      --
      Stupidity is its own reward.
  13. Re:Anime FANSUBS create a market where there was n by interkin3tic · · Score: 2, Funny

    Turns out that the aforementioned title is a popular romantic fantasy story about a young ex-vampire and the various supernatural girls he meets... Without fansubs, that market simply wouldn't exist and everyone would miss out.

    I don't think Americans being unexposed to what sounds like a Japanese version of "Twilight" qualifies as "everyone missing out."

  14. Piracy only negatively affects BAD expensive media by nigeljw · · Score: 1

    There would be zero proliferation of Japanese animation in the western world, without the mass fansubbing era. The groups seem to be becoming satisfied with current pricing schemes by sites such as Crunchy Roll, so they have been showing due respect (call out to Dattebayo!). I myself am an avid watcher, though the chrunchy roll player is a bit dodgy. On linux, the player stops swapping in new frames if I interact with the browser functions (fullscreen, etc), which is why I would MUCH rather be able to download a high quality version and watch it from my own hd using a solid video player. Or at least provide feeds that we can watch with remote players like VLC (though I always prefer mplayer). The commercial world is still slagging behind technology.

    Note: Fansubbing does not affect the sales of cheap bad anime. People will always buy bad cheap stuff, its in our nature. It only affects overpriced poorly adapted animations of respected manga. Even then, the affect is marginal as this article would make it seem.

  15. The price of tea in China by PPalmgren · · Score: 5, Informative

    The article specifically mentions Japanese releases and sales within Japan. I don't think fansubbing has any relevance in this specific case.

    1. Re:The price of tea in China by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mod parent up. The article is about sales within Japan; fansubbing is mostly irrelevant there.

    2. Re:The price of tea in China by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They may or may not have studied it (articles being so comprehensive and accurate). However, fans established a significant market through fansubbing culture which wouldn't have existed otherwise or which would have optimistically been orders of magnitude smaller. Strict copyright enforcement is not good for culture or business, while loose enforcement often benefits both.

    3. Re:The price of tea in China by PrimaryConsult · · Score: 1

      Not entirely irrelevant. I've imported some anime / games that will likely never get an R1 release because of fansubs. I have also purchased books and manga at Kinokuniya that I would not have never bothered with otherwise as a result.

      In that regard, fansubs directly results in the purchase of the Japan versions of BDs/DVDs/games/books.

      I admit this is a very, very small percentage and not what most people are talking about here when they talk about fansubs, but in some small way, it does help profits.

    4. Re:The price of tea in China by crossmr · · Score: 1

      I admit this is a very, very small percentage and not what most people are talking about here when they talk about fansubs, but in some small way, it does help profits.

      but extremely unlikely to remotely impact this study.

  16. Re:Anime FANSUBS create a market where there was n by Microlith · · Score: 2

    Thankfully, nothing in Anime, even the worst stuff, is as bad or as outright shitty as Twilight.

    Oh and what's with the damned FIVE MINUTE DELAY between posts, Slashdot? Are you trying to kill the site?

  17. 1337 lawsuits? by reilwin · · Score: 2

    The results of the study come at an interesting time. For years anime distributors where considered quite lenient towards piracy, but last week the American anime distributor Funimation announced lawsuits against 1337 alleged BitTorrent downloaders.

    Wait, really?

    1. Re:1337 lawsuits? by Microlith · · Score: 1

      Yes, really. I think it says a lot about how serious they are about it.

    2. Re:1337 lawsuits? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Can't wait for the lawsuit against 34 hentai downloaders.

    3. Re:1337 lawsuits? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The results of the study come at an interesting time. For years animé distributors where considered quite lenient towards piracy, but last week the American animé distributor Decimation announced lawsuits against elite alleged Bitterroot downgrades.

      Wait, really?

      Fixed that for ya (credit to Firefox spellcheck).

  18. Re:Anime FANSUBS create a market where there was n by PitViper401 · · Score: 1

    He did a poor job of describing the show, it's nothing like Twilight. The vampire aspect is mainly used to explain why he knows about ghosts, demons, and other "aberrations". The romance is not overbearing and stupid like Twilight, it actually portrays a fairly healthy and normal teenaged relationship. The show is mainly about him helping others overcome their problems with ghosts and curses, with a sprinkling of amusing romance on top.

  19. Sampling by msobkow · · Score: 1

    Personally I like to sample an episode or two before I buy a box set, but the quality of anime viewing on YouTube just sucks. Video is far too low bandwidth to be clean. But it's good enough for a preview to decide if you like the writing and voice acting.

    --
    I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
  20. I agree by Scared+Rabbit · · Score: 1

    I haven't really been into anime for the past 6 years or so, but back when I was into it I routinely bought things that I had watched previously for free, though typically it was through fansubs (which I imagine they're including as a type of piracy).

  21. Re:Anime FANSUBS create a market where there was n by Rakshasa+Taisab · · Score: 1

    That's cause the OP is a twit that didn't actually watch the show...

    Main guy isn't an ex-vampire, he is the living food dispenser for a depressed loli vampire. And most of the girls he meets aren't supernatural, they're possessed.

    --
    - These characters were randomly selected.
  22. artists are not doing bad though by Stregano · · Score: 1

    You ever watched MTV Cribs? Do you realize how much some of the cast of Jersey Shore gets paid per episode? 50,000. That's right. I have a degree in comp sci, 4 years of experience, worked with multiple languages in my job (yes, I know I am still new in the industry, don't ruin my story) and I make less than them a year and all they do is act retarded. The big companies can complain all they want, but if they are hurting so much for money, then stop paying Will Smith 20mill per movie. Pay him 100,000 since he has years of experience and call it a day.

    What does this have to do with pirating Anime? I don't know. I like to rip into the *AA's at any chance I can get my mits on.

    Because of Pirating I found out about Samurai Champloo, Lupin, Bubblegum Crisis (I think it is called that, I have seen 2 or 3 eps), Tri-Gun, Cowboy Bebop, and I now own the DVD's for most of them. I found out about some Anime movies through pirating as well (everybody knows about Akira regardless), but Voltage Fighters, X, Ninja Scroll. If it was not for piratting, I would have never bought these DVD's. I am not into the weird Japanese Anime version of Twilight stuff. Not my style kid, but yeah, yay for piratting since it openned my eyes to a bunch of mainstream anime I would not have known about previously

    --
    The world is how you make it
    1. Re:artists are not doing bad though by boxwood · · Score: 2

      They pay Will Smith $20M per movie because having his name above the title will likely get about $20M from people that want to watch a Will Smith movie. Yeah maybe you don't like Will Smith (myself I'm Will Smith neutral) but there must be actors that you like and their involvement in a movie will make you more likely to go see the movie.

      Yeah its ridiculous that the idiots on Jersey Shore get so much money. But people watch them for some reason and without those idiots they don't have a show and they don't have viewers. But 50,000 per episode is cheap. The cast of Friends were getting $1M per episode each. This is of course the reason why there has been a shift to reality television.

      Anyway don't worry about it. If you don't like the entertainment business, you don't have to buy or even view the stuff they put out.

    2. Re:artists are not doing bad though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's unfortunate you don't make as much as you'd like but it's not just about getting a degree and amassing knowledge or experience. Those "retards" were probably in the right place at the right time when the show was being casted. The "retards" showed what they had to offer, and the producers found what they considered were acceptable investments to turn a profit. Same thing with you: you got hired (or will get hired) based on your qualifications and will then get paid (offered) what the employer/market considers appropriate. I guess you're free to complain about the stark differences, but I think those "retards" and Will Smith earned their place in their own way.

      Sorry for the off-topic rant..

    3. Re:artists are not doing bad though by SwedishPenguin · · Score: 1

      There are thousands of actors that can act at least as well as Will Smith can, probably hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions, I don't see why Will Smith (or any other actor) should make you more likely to watch a movie. The writing and direction is much more important to the success of a movie.

      Anyways, our society is full of examples of people contributing little to society (stock traders come to mind) are paid millions, yet those who contribute a lot (nurses and teachers for instance) are often paid below the average salary.

    4. Re:artists are not doing bad though by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      You can just make a better movie and only spend $20 million on it total and still come out ahead.

      The problem with this is that such an approach is not considered a "sure thing" to a corporate mindset and bean counters with zero imagination are running the studios these days.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    5. Re:artists are not doing bad though by boxwood · · Score: 1

      well think of hiring Will Smith as being a marketing decision.

      Sort of like how there's no reason for me to use a particular brand of razor just because a sports star recommends it, but the companies that make razors spend millions for that sports star to be in their advertisement.

      Yeah maybe it doesn't make a difference to you or me, but to a lot of people it does. And besides the simple name recognition factor, there's also the fact that if Will Smith makes a movie and it bombs, well his reputation suffers. If you respect an actor and think he's made good decisions about which movies he appears in in the past, well it makes it more likely that the next movie he decides to appear in will be good. Conversely, if Ben Affleck appears in a movie you're probably going to be a bit suspicious about it as he's been in a lot of bombs.

      Personally I don't really care about Will Smith, but there are a lot of actors I find entertaining. I always find Samuel L Jackson to be entertaining (well except in the Star Wars prequels, but I prefer to pretend they didn't happen). Bruce Willis is pretty cool too. And Robert Downy Jr. has been on a roll lately. Of course, I find it to be more reliable to look to the director of the movie to gauge its quality.

      Yes, an unknown actor might be more talented than the star actors I like. But an unknown actor can be total shit too. Same can be said about directors too. So if I see a movie which has actors that I find entertaining, is directed by someone that has made other movies I enjoy, then yeah its more likely I'll watch that movie. Sherlock Holmes is an example of this. If it had unknown actors and an unknown director I would have had a neutral opinion on the movie. But because of the cast and the director, I had a better idea what to expect, and it delivered. If the movie was all unknowns, well given all the previous versions of Sherlock Holmes being a stuffy older guy with a funny hat and a pipe, well I may have given it a miss. Maybe if I heard some good word of mouth about the movie I'd eventually check it out. But the presence of actors that consistently delivers gets my ass in the seat at the theater.

  23. It's pretty incredible that anyone buys anime by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't know how anime is priced in the US, but here in Australia you would generally pay the same amount for a DVD with 3-4 episodes as you would for a complete season of any western show. Rather bizarre considering anime isn't made for the western market, per se. It's mostly just gravy. American publishers do a bit of translating and hire the worst voice actors possible (yeah, I'm being cynical, but I've been hurt so many times), and this costs several times more than million dollar western shows being made from scratch?

    Not just expensive either, but also a massive waste of shelf space. Granted, the distributors eventually realised this and started to release them afterwards in smaller container box sets, but still on the same painful number of DVDs, making avi files on your computer so much easier. I mean, would anything actually compress better onto DVDs than anime episodes? Large areas of identical colour, minimal movement...

  24. Re:Anime FANSUBS create a market where there was n by magus_melchior · · Score: 1

    Without fansubs, certain series (*cough*Macross 7/Frontier*cough*) wouldn't even possibly be seen here, full stop.

    I'm told that there are so many US copyright SNAFUs and licensing hurdles associated with the "Macross" title, that no Macross title aside from Plus and possibly the original can be distributed in the US unless people pay hundreds of dollars per disc.

    Then there's the ADV Films licensing brouhaha not too long ago that locked away several series from the early 2000s until recently.

    I would agree with the producers that they should be fairly compensated. But something must be done about media companies who either want total control or who want more money than anyone is willing to pay, and immediately hide behind the excuse of "piracy is ruining sales" whenever they're called on these.

    --
    "We are Microsoft. You shall be assimilated. Competition is futile."
  25. "A new study seems to confirm..."? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    WHAT new study? Where's the article link? What news organization?

  26. Re:Anime FANSUBS create a market where there was n by Bonker · · Score: 1

    Well, EXCUUUSE ME
    </SteveMartin>

    First, how the hell is 'supernatural' not the same thing as 'possessed'? Y'wanna quibble on fine points or personal definitions?

    Second, anyone who wants the long version of the story is more than welcome to click the link. I didn't feel the need to discuss the merits of loli-vampires, loli-snakes, the almost-entirely conversation-driven nature of the story, its light-novel origins, or even Studio Shaft's over-the-top psychedelic animation. This is a discussion on the merits of breaking copyright for the greater good.

    If you want to pit Araragi-kun against Mr. Cullen, or want to talk shit on the story, /a/ is on a different website.

    --
    The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and slashdot the links early!
  27. It's true. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm a long-time anime fan. I collect merchandise. I attend conventions. I've been known to dress up at said conventions.
     
    So why do I still pirate anime? Exposure. Plain and simple. Any idea how much a dvd box set costs these days? The majority of my favorite series have never aired on tv in the united states, and I'm constantly looking for new material.
     
    On occasion, new anime series are described to me via word of mouth from friends in my area, acquaintances I see irregularly at conventions, and online acquaintances. Unfortunately, I can't (financially speaking) put enough stock in a friends recommendation to spend a big chunk of cash on a dvd box set, only to find out it SUCKS and I'm out a big chunk of the months entertainment fund. Moreover, actual recommendations are relatively few and far between, and the signal to noise ratio isn't the best by a long shot.
     
    I primarily look into new series by checking out, say, the pirate bay, or kick ass torrents, or any number of other sites. In so doing, I can quickly and freely download the first 2-3 episodes of a series and give it a try. Not only can I specifically look for recommended series, I can find interesting series with a properly formed search query.
     
    With zero exceptions thus far, if I like the series enough to continue watching past the third episode, I purchase at least one set of dvds, if not significantly more merchandise. In other words, the anime series that I don't contribute to fiscally are the ones that I don't watch. My purchases aren't even about supporting the creators of the work, it's pure avarice on my part. If I'm into it, I want all of it. If I'm not, I want none of it.
     
    I have a number of friends who are the same way, more than one of which sold portions of their collection to pay for college- It's not that I can't imagine I'm alone, but I know firsthand that I'm not alone in my line of thinking. And insofar as my admittedly not statistically significant experience with anime fans has revealed, there are a significant number of anime fans who do just as I do.

    Posted as AC for reasons that are obvious, extremely obvious, and not so obvious. In that order. Kthx.

  28. Re:Anime FANSUBS create a market where there was n by xenapan · · Score: 0

    Bakemonogatari is probably one of THE best animes to come out in YEARS. Instead of the large amounts of same forumla stuff that comes out constantly. It isnt another harem of girls falls in love with weakling guy kinda thing. The animation style is very unique.

    Ironically, I still refuse to buy box sets of anime I love. 99.9% of the time the english dub versions they release are just plain bad and their subs are worse than fansubs. I find it hard to justify paying for something of lower quality than I can get legally (before its licensed in the US). I mean if they did a better job of the subs and dubs and released it along the same time as the Japanese version sure. I wouldn't hesitate to buy. But when all they are offering is lower quality stuff that I can't stand listening to... hardly gives any incentive to buy. Only anime I have a box set of is Hellsing because the dubs aren't total trash.

    --
    insert funny sig here
  29. Anime sure... by Charliemopps · · Score: 1

    Piracy may boost the sales of niche markets, but that's not what the media industry cares about. Piracy definitely doesn't help the sales of movies like Pirates of the Caribbean. When everyone already knows about the movie, then the advertising potential that piracy offers doesn't help at all. In fact, if the media industry wants anything, it's control over their market. A zillion niche markets appealing to every audience imaginable is a threat to their 1 movie everyone has to buy business model. But then again, their one movie everyone has to buy business model is what makes 10k+ seeded torrents that download in 10min possible.

    1. Re:Anime sure... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then again, it would be extremely difficult to argue that movies like Pirates of the Caribbean don't make astronomical amounts of cash at the box office, or even that they don't sell craploads of DVDs. If piracy is really hurting such movies, then why are their revenues increasing year-over-year (to record levels!) with the increase in piracy? Possibly because the assertion that piracy simply hurts such movies is flawed, and the equation is much more complex than that.

    2. Re:Anime sure... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The article is about anime sales in Japan. Anime is not a niche market over there.

    3. Re:Anime sure... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In fact, if the media industry wants anything, it's control over their market.

      What I don't understand is, why does everyone assume that a large company "owns" the market that they're in? Surely they don't own something just because they produce content for it..like cars for example, does BMW own that market, making it "theirs" because they produce cars for it? I don't agree..
      They're too self entitled, thinking their actions are the only thing keeping "their" market alive ~_~

  30. This calls for the Obligatory Correlation... by Derekloffin · · Score: 1

    ...is not Causation. Although I have no doubts, particularly when it comes to anime, that piracy may well be positive rather than negative at times, it is a VERY difficult thing to actually prove (or disprove).

    1. Re:This calls for the Obligatory Correlation... by Travelsonic · · Score: 1

      I just LOVE your gross generalizations about pirates, as if they were ALL one type, cut from the same cloth always.

      --
      If you believe in privacy, and believe you have "nothing to hide" at the same time, you're a goddammed idiot
  31. Re:Anime FANSUBS create a market where there was n by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Perhaps the original article proves you wrong.

  32. Re:Anime FANSUBS create a market where there was n by SeaFox · · Score: 2

    Main guy isn't an ex-vampire, he is the living food dispenser for a depressed loli vampire. And most of the girls he meets aren't supernatural, they're possessed.

    You do an even worse job describing the show. He WAS an ex-vampire, and he only used the loli-vampire as a way to strengthen himself physically in a single story arc of the show, other than that she's just a side-character whose history is left as more a mystery to the viewer. The girls aren't possessed in the classic sense except for Hanekawa and possibly Hitagi. Hachikuji isn't even human to start with. It's more like they're being harassed by spirits.

    Really this show has more in common with Mushishi than Twilight.

  33. Re:Anime FANSUBS create a market where there was n by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You think U.S. fans would know what to expect from a title like Bakemonogatari is without having seen a fansub first

    Yes they could get an idea by going to the link you pr

  34. fansub fan for years (decade now?) by Nyder · · Score: 1

    I love fansubs. Sheesh, I wouldn't of ever gotten into most the anime I have without it.

    But besides getting new Anime fast with fansubs, there's another reason I like it better then dub versions.

    American dub versions usually suck dog shit. They will dumb the plot down, change stuff to fit "american kids". Not cool with that.

    Of course, i rely on the fansubbers to give me an accurate translation of what is said, which doesn't seem to always happen. But it's free, and I forgive them.

    I have a buddy who likes dubs, but i think it's because he has crappy eyesight and can't read what the fansubs say. or public school education, so he can't read too good. never can tell. But he stuck back some years behind what i'm watching. He's talking like Naruto Shippuden (sorry for bad spelling) episode 63, and I'm talking like episode 200.

    Okay, i'm going to bust some truth about me here. I'm not really a consumer. I've always been happy with copies of stuff. Music? I used to make cassette tape copies of my friends stuff. Mp3 just made it easier and more convient (and better copies, oddly enough) for me. Would I buy all that music? Hell No. I'm cheap.
    Same for movies/video games/everything. If i can get it cheap, or free, count me in.

    But that being said, i have a bunch of friend who have to own the item. They must own the DVD, or the CD, collectors edition? hell ya, they fork over the extra money for it. I don't know what's difference between them and me (besides probably $40k a year) because even when we were broke kids, they still had to own the shit.

    And those peeps? I've introduced more Anime, music/movies to them over the years that they would of probably never found without me (until they have kids, lol) and my internet downloading ways.

    In closing, I will say, thanks Fansubbers, you rock.

    Oh, and this. What the fuck is up with all the god damn fluff episodes? Take bleach. You have a story. You then pause the current story, do some fillers, then do some back stories, start another mini story series, finally get back to the main story, start up some more back stories, throw in some fluff for good measure, then finally get back on the main story. wtf? And you tend to do that for other series, Bleach just seems to have it the worse. As an american who does NOT buy your stuff, please keep it on the stories please. thanks! =)

    --
    Be seeing you...
    1. Re:fansub fan for years (decade now?) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      AFAIK nearly all the filler in long shows like Bleach and Naruto is because the anime catches up to the current manga editions but they don't want to just stop airing it so they do a "filler" arc to let the manga author write some more plot.

      Sometimes the original Manga author collaborates with the anime studio to come up with something new and interesting, but most of the time it just means that someone has to just make up plot resolutions and characterisations as they go, hoping to get it somewhat close to where the original story goes. This can lead to some series having wildly different (and usually worse) endings than the manga, though some studios seem to just ignore all the filler and pretend it didnt happen.

    2. Re:fansub fan for years (decade now?) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      its because they need to leave some leeway for the manga release. it takes alot of time to make story content. And tokyoTV doesn't want to kill the golden goose by going outside story material.

      Stuff that was never originally manga tends to have incredble pacing but short runs of one season or two (which I don't mind because it keeps me from getting bored with the series). example of one of these with gurren laggan, which has pacing so vigorous you never have to time to get bored.

      hell I think high brow stuff like crest of the stars is more interesting than naruto just because they can actually have a well thought out arc with a well wrapped conclusion in more than 30 episodes (probably because it was a novel series). and characters that are actually interesting

    3. Re:fansub fan for years (decade now?) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, and this. What the fuck is up with all the god damn fluff episodes? Take bleach. You have a story. You then pause the current story, do some fillers, then do some back stories, start another mini story series, finally get back to the main story, start up some more back stories, throw in some fluff for good measure, then finally get back on the main story. wtf? And you tend to do that for other series, Bleach just seems to have it the worse. As an american who does NOT buy your stuff, please keep it on the stories please. thanks! =)

      I'm not sure if you seriously want to know or not, but here are two of the reasons I've seen "fluff in an anime storyline:

      1) Specifically in regards to Bleach and probably Naruto, the anime is based off of the manga. Strangely enough, while anime episodes take a week to make, manga chapters take about the same, but sometimes only come out bimonthly or even monthly. Depends on the author and the publisher. In either case, it still generally takes two or more chapters to fill a 26 minute ep, so production on an anime generally eats through story far faster than a manga. So what happens is that Bleach, the anime, catches up to the storyline in Bleach, the manga, and there aren't going to be enough chapters to fill out the next season. Cue a side story that either the author, or somebody else entirely, outlines and fleshes out for a season while the manga catches up.

      2) In 24-26 episode shows, you used to see a filler ep at around 13 all of the time. It's rarer now, but it exists for two reasons. First, to try to catch up people who haven't fully watched the first half, but may want to watch the rest, and second, to give the studio a few days off during a holiday.

  35. see tagline by night_flyer · · Score: 1

    been saying it for years

    --


    Thanks to file sharing, I purchase more CDs
    Thanks to the RIAA, I buy them used...
  36. Go to www.rieti.go.jp/en/ and see for yourself by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I used google translate and scrolled to the conclusion of the study. It does indeed say that despite youtube and torrent sites contributing to piracy of animated shows, sales have increased. Direct link to PDF of study.

  37. Interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Thats strange TF reported the summation as youtube & piracy do hurt rentals but boost dvd sales. Although they did say they got a third party translation.

  38. Anime is priced beyond casual interest by wrook · · Score: 1

    This is a really good point. However, as someone else pointed out, the study seems to be talking about piracy in Japan affecting Japanese sales.

    For me this is an even easier "duh". Japanese anime DVDs are ridiculously expensive. A single DVD (which might only hold 2 22 minute episodes) can be as much as $70 US. Nobody is buying these to watch them. They are buying them to have them. Downloading and burning a disk is *not* the same thing.

    I once saw a an interview with Karl Lagerfeld . He was asked if knockoffs of his fashion designs affect his sales. He said his customers would never buy an imitation and that those who buy an imitation could never afford the real thing. He was completely unconcerned with knockoffs.

    Recently a new Anime was just released called "Houkago Pureadisu" (After school Pleiades). It was released online. It is sponsored by Subaru and the main character's name is Subaru. While not a very good anime, I wonder if this kind of thing will become more common. I think it makes sense to use product placement to generate ad revenue and then distribute for free (without commercials). Well, nothing is stopping you from putting some ads on a download page as well. Again, it won't even make a dent in sales to people who simply have to have the authentic disc (which are the only people buying anime in Japan today).

  39. Re:Anime FANSUBS create a market where there was n by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, it's us who are trying to kill the site.. ;)

  40. The study is frighteningly nerdy. by zioncat · · Score: 1

    While seeing word like 'fujoshi' in government study was kind of funny, I had to stop reading it after the author introduced something he calls 'voice actor/actress points variable". It's supposedly calculated from number of threads dedicated to voice actor/actress at 2chan. Seriously, he got to be joking.

  41. ...Uh, okay. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    niche markets

    Anime hasn't been a 'niche market' since the 90s.

  42. Re:Anime FANSUBS create a market where there was n by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Azumanga Daioh is the even more pointed example of Fansubbing creating a market/buzz/whatever. When it appeared, it had _zero_ following by the commercial Anime sector-- because it has nothing that 'market' wanted: no mechs, no blatant fanservice, it wasn't the next GitS/Trigun/NinjaScrolls, etc., etc. Near to the end of the season though, there was a panic scramble to license it, because the unpretentious slice-of-life show was a huge hit with real anime fans.

  43. Re:Anime FANSUBS create a market where there was n by Draek · · Score: 1

    Actually, it's more like the X-Files on an LSD trip, without Scully and replacing the "aliens" excuse with ghosts.

    I'd recommend you give it a try, it's fun stuff. Besides, you'd only need to watch a single episode, while there's *some* sort of Myth Arc overall the formula is pretty constant so if you don't like it, there's nothing that'd make you change your mind later.

    --
    No problem is insoluble in all conceivable circumstances.
  44. A 7-5-7 Haiku as a Reply by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's the same in the US.
    Also in Japan.
    Otaku are exploited much.

  45. related to CDs? by KingAlanI · · Score: 1

    Maybe this is just correlation without causation, but perhaps this is related to how/why Japanese CDs are also more expensive than they are in the West.
    That happens with the Japanese editions of CDs by Western artists, let alone stuff that's only available natively from Japan.

    --
    I listen to both RIAA and non-RIAA stuff if I like the music, tangential business/politics nonwithstanding.
    1. Re:related to CDs? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's true that Western CD/DVDs that are localized for the Japan market are anywhere from 1.5 to 2 times more expensive that original versions, but this is not limited to such imports. CD/DVDs in general, in Japan, are 1.5 to 2 times more expensive than in the US. These prices are "normal" to us. Non-localized Western CD/DVDs sold at Tower Records here are seen as "cheap."

      I lived in the US for 15 years, and have been living in Japan for about the same. If I converted my income to USD it would be six figures. But if I were doing the same work state-side, I'd probably much less than that.

        It's all about the difference in cost of living (and hence, income).

    2. Re:related to CDs? by KingAlanI · · Score: 1

      According to your comment, sounds like the Japan-only stuff is priced about the same as the localized versions of Western stuff, and some do import the lower-price non-localized versions of the Western stuff.
      Incidentally, CDs are in the same language [albeit with different bonus material], but if translation is involved, I suppose some might already know the language and some would want entertaining immersion in the language.

        I'm reminded of one reading about English teacher who used English-language Magic the Gathering cards, for instance.

      Didn't think of cost-of-living differences, but makes sense. :)

      --
      I listen to both RIAA and non-RIAA stuff if I like the music, tangential business/politics nonwithstanding.
  46. Durrrr by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No shit

  47. Quite. by unity100 · · Score: 0

    i have recently made watching japanese animes my favorite pastime in between breaks during work. i find them especially hilarious and comedic. their comedic level ranks above the 'good' comedy series mainstream media produces.

    im watching them from international sites, and since they are not copyrighted, there is no problem.

    however, what i am not able to understand is, why the anime studios are not putting up these videos up in their websites with subtitles, offering paid membership with a reasonable rate to everyone. i, for one, would easily subscribe for such a service. but, if i didnt start regularly watching anime from pirate sites, i wouldnt even be interested in such a service probably.

    but anime studios are still trying to stick to the shitty old distribution models over monopoly tv syndicates. that time is long past. the reach is too little that way, and it also limits their liberties with their material A LOT.

  48. Being a Robotech fan circa 1992 by GodfatherofSoul · · Score: 1

    I was in LOVE with this series back then. I was like a trekkie geek for it. I watched it whenever I could get access to it on TV, played the RPG, bought the cheap Japanese knockoff toys, etc. But, because of downright extortion by Palladium games charging $10 dollars per EPISODE I never got to see the whole series when I was a big fan. I knew of networks of people trading anime back and forth, but I never went through with getting VHS tapes mailed to a fellow fan.

    Finally, about 5 years ago I found the series for the dirt cheap price of $15 plus shipping for all the DVDs and got to see all the episodes for the first time. I don't know my point since I'm against downloading content and not paying the artists, but back then there wasn't much of a choice. I imagine there still isn't much access for fans today.

    --
    I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
  49. Yeah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I like trying before I buy because I have been screwed too many times. I made the mistake of buying Gothic 4 recently, there are too many bugs in that game to make it enjoyable.

    I downloaded Morrowind, I downloaded Oblivion, I downloaded OFP Dragon Rising, I downloaded Arma 2. After I played them in release state, I loved them so much I bought them, and any and all expansions for all of them!

    What does this tell us? It tells us that if the developers, or movie producers make a great product, customers will buy it. If they create garbage (Should have put a ring on it, and be careful what you wish for DUN DUN DUN because you just might get it), then obviously you can not blame the customers who put food on your table for not buying it. Put some effort into your work, and you will be rewarded!

  50. Anime is not representative by mug+funky · · Score: 1

    i might just play devil's advocate for a second and point out that anime really is not representative of the entire market,

    anime fans actively collect anime. they'll download to see if the show is good, then buy up the whole series, plus merch, plus dress up and go to cons, plus buy the re-issues, the re-re-issues, and the blu-ray (that's an up-res of the re-re-issue DVD master), and then the reconstruction when it comes out.

    these results and this market do not translate to the stuff that the **AAs pump out, where a fan will download to see if it's worth keeping... and then nothing more will happen.

    * disclaimer: i work in distribution.

  51. Re:Anime FANSUBS create a market where there was n by rdnetto · · Score: 1

    You think U.S. fans would know what to expect from a title like Bakemonogatari is without having seen a fansub first?

    Turns out that the aforementioned title is a popular romantic fantasy story about a young ex-vampire and the various supernatural girls he meets. Its title is probably best translated as 'Ghost Story'.

    Despite the relative obscurity of both the story and the source material, It has a fairly strong U.S. fanbase that will likely make publishing a run of Region 1 DVDs profitable for both the Japanese and North American companies involved.

    Without fansubs, that market simply wouldn't exist and everyone would miss out.

    You're doing it a disservice if you don't mention the comedy. I would describe its genre as supernatural - there's not that much romance in it (just a few episodes). The comedy is interwoven throughout, and thrives mostly due to the dialogue (which can still be appreciated even when translated). That said, the article specifically considered sales within Japan.

    --
    Most human behaviour can be explained in terms of identity.
  52. Anime Piracy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Haha. What a ridiculous study. Piracy torched DVD sales and I can speak with authority on the subject because I was in the biz for years. People don't pay for things they can get for free in any kind of appreciable number that really matters. That's why so many people lost their jobs in the industry (myself included!). What would happen is a DVD would come out and somebody would put it up online and then the sales would stop because (most) people want it for free. All of a sudden there's not as much money coming in so they lay off the shipping people, accounting people, voice actors, sales, production and then they close the doors. I know people use all sorts of things to justify their actions but at the end of the day if they can get it for free that's what they are going to do. There's no money in Netflix either for the studios that are left. It's just a bad business just like manga. Everybody should be thankful that there's plenty of product already made because when the investors don't make their money back on shows and books they quit producing them. We're all going to be watching re-runs in a couple of years!

    1. Re:Anime Piracy by Travelsonic · · Score: 1

      This is either sarcasm/funny, misinformed, or a complete moron. I'm placing my bets on 1 and 3.

      --
      If you believe in privacy, and believe you have "nothing to hide" at the same time, you're a goddammed idiot
  53. I would buy FIST OF THE NORTH STAR on DVD... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...if it were even available on DVD in this country (Region 2).

    I have a copy on VHS I got at a car boot sale for 50p, but it just isn't available anywhere on DVD (someone prove me wrong??!) so I've resorted to downloading a low-res DivX version instead.

    (I am referring to the '80s FIST OF THE NORTH STAR movie, not the remake series btw...)

  54. Re:Anime FANSUBS create a market where there was n by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Except, it hasn't been licensed, and it won't be, because there is a perception that all the fans who would buy it just pirated it instead.

  55. Re:Anime FANSUBS create a market where there was n by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A story about a monster?

  56. Re:Anime FANSUBS create a market where there was n by houghi · · Score: 1

    make publishing a run of Region 1 DVDs profitable

    Remove the Region part and the rest of the world could also see it without the need of piracy or other 'illegal' methods.
    Or is there any reason to exclude e.g. Australia?

    Many copyright infringements are due to these region codes.

    --
    Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
  57. How did everyone miss the obvious joke? by genner · · Score: 1

    Funimation announced lawsuits against 1337 alleged BitTorrent downloaders.

    1. Re:How did everyone miss the obvious joke? by onefineline · · Score: 1

      Damn! You beat me to it! Although I couldn't tell if it was a joke or what.

  58. Re:Anime FANSUBS create a market where there was n by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Its title is probably best translated as 'Ghost Story'.

    Or maybe... Ghostory
    since the original japanese name was the fusion of bakemono and monogatari ..

  59. Don't expect... by rnturn · · Score: 1

    ... any number of studies to sway the lizard brains that predominate within the legal offices of the **AA. They live by the phrase "don't try to confuse me with the facts".

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    CUR ALLOC 20195.....5804M