Interesting article on Anime piracy(bootlegs)

[Lego]

Saw this over on ANN, thought it was actually a decent article. Here are some fun quotes from the article:

[ QUOTE ]
"If there was not a market for something, there would not be a business for it," Henderson says. "I import stuff because people buy it." He sees his bootlegging as a way to force the American companies that license and distribute anime to lower their prices, which are often too expensive for young fans.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hahahaha. Yeh, by buying a pirated version of a show, it makes companies want to price their stuff lower. "Younger" fans? Why does it sound like he is trying to sell boots to middle schoolers?

[ QUOTE ]
Then he began reporting Animeniacs to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice, U.S. Customs and even the Denver Police Department, but except for a few letters from anime distributors like FUNimation demanding a cease-and-desist and a recent visit to the store by the FBI -- something Henderson describes as a "note-taking session" -- Animeniacs continues unscathed. And despite his frustration, Morse has yet to confront Henderson outright. "I'm just not a confrontational person," he sighs. "It took some time for me to even do something like this. It's just that he knows exactly what he's doing, and he doesn't care. Why? Because people are buying it, and he feels he's providing some sort of service."

[/ QUOTE ]

You can read the full article here (http://www.westword.com/Issues/2006-02-09/news/news.html) .

[ QUOTE ]
Henderson fully admits that his stock of HK anime is made up of unlicensed copies, but he doesn't believe what he's doing is illegal, since the true copyright dispute is between Japan and the home country of the bootleg producer.

If, for example, he were selling a bootleg of a Hollywood film, then, yes, he concedes, it would clearly be a punishable offense. But for right now, Henderson claims he's operating in an international-copyright "gray area" and refuses to even utter the word "bootleg."

[/ QUOTE ]

[hobie]

Wow, what a jackass the one guy is. /images/graemlins/anger200.gif

[golthin]

[ QUOTE ]
Hobie-wan said:
Wow, what a jackass the one guy is. /images/graemlins/anger200.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
I must asume you are talking about the owner of the "cheap" anime store. /sarcasm off /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif
You see the problem is that the Casual Buyer, doesn't know better. Now the well informed Anime fan should know.

[Lego]

True. I can picture someone that sees something like Naruto on CN, doesn't know to much about anime, and ends up buying Naruto boots off the internet or from a store like that guys.

Then you have some people that could care less. I always saw HK's as paying someone for low quality rips of a show.

[Curse_7781]

Man, that Henderson guy (the person selling bootlegs) is one S.O.B /images/graemlins/anger100.gif

I am glad the person who is mad at Henderson is taking smart actions towards him by stopping him or anyone from selling bootlegs at conventions.

This reminds me when I was at a university (in an anime club) and I talked to a guy who supports bootlegs. The guy I talked to was convinced what he was doing was alright. Trust me, I tried *extremely* hard to convince him otherwise and he didn't move at his stance (according to him, animes are too expensive to support the industry). /images/graemlins/anger200.gif

Enhance the Trance,
Curse

[Algernon]

I guess what really bothers me about the article is how little the people who are supposed to stop the bootlegs are doing. The article mentions that Henderson has received a cease and desist letter from FUNimation, but it doesn't say if he ever complied with it. From the way he talks, I doubt he did. What about other companies? They mentioned Mr. Morse notifying all the legal authorities, but it doesn't say if he's contacted all the studios. I wonder if Viz and Sony would respond to his bootleg selling or not. If not, then that sends a pretty bad message to those that buy and sell these things.

[golthin]

[ QUOTE ]
Curse said:
Man, that Henderson guy (the person selling bootlegs) is one S.O.B /images/graemlins/anger100.gif

I am glad the person who is mad at Henderson is taking smart actions towards him by stopping him or anyone from selling bootlegs at conventions.

This reminds me when I was at a university (in an anime club) and I talked to a guy who supports bootlegs. The guy I talked to was convinced what he was doing was alright. Trust me, I tried *extremely* hard to convince him otherwise and he didn't move at his stance (according to him, animes are too expensive to support the industry). /images/graemlins/anger200.gif

Enhance the Trance,
Curse

[/ QUOTE ]
No, he knows that what he is doing is wrong. He is just trying to justify it with something. Trust me, people know what is wrong and what is right. They choose to do what is wrong for what ever reason, and then in front of other come with some excuse. The excuse of anime being too expensive to support the industry is the number one excuse used by people.

[golthin]

[ QUOTE ]
Algernon said:
I guess what really bothers me about the article is how little the people who are supposed to stop the bootlegs are doing. The article mentions that Henderson has received a cease and desist letter from FUNimation, but it doesn't say if he ever complied with it. From the way he talks, I doubt he did. What about other companies? They mentioned Mr. Morse notifying all the legal authorities, but it doesn't say if he's contacted all the studios. I wonder if Viz and Sony would respond to his bootleg selling or not. If not, then that sends a pretty bad message to those that buy and sell these things.

[/ QUOTE ]
Hmmm! It seems that the authorities will have a problem proving their case. They will have to prove that the items are not legal, and because he is not MAKING the DVD, they will need to bring the makers to the states, try to summon a hong kong bootleger to come to a USA court. It seems that Japan has been putting preasure on the hong kong's authorities. They mentioned a raid that confiscated a huge amount of DVDs bound for the USA. It is much easier for anime companies to stop fansub distribution than to stop bootlegs.

[Algernon]

[ QUOTE ]
golthin said:
[ QUOTE ]
Algernon said:
I guess what really bothers me about the article is how little the people who are supposed to stop the bootlegs are doing. The article mentions that Henderson has received a cease and desist letter from FUNimation, but it doesn't say if he ever complied with it. From the way he talks, I doubt he did. What about other companies? They mentioned Mr. Morse notifying all the legal authorities, but it doesn't say if he's contacted all the studios. I wonder if Viz and Sony would respond to his bootleg selling or not. If not, then that sends a pretty bad message to those that buy and sell these things.

[/ QUOTE ]
Hmmm! It seems that the authorities will have a problem proving their case. They will have to prove that the items are not legal, and because he is not MAKING the DVD, they will need to bring the makers to the states, try to summon a hong kong bootleger to come to a USA court. It seems that Japan has been putting preasure on the hong kong's authorities. They mentioned a raid that confiscated a huge amount of DVDs bound for the USA. It is much easier for anime companies to stop fansub distribution than to stop bootlegs.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would imagine that if he's selling bootlegs of shows that are licensed in the US, those licensors should have someone able to go after him. If Viz Media has an exclusive license to sell Naruto in the US, they can take the hardline role and say that any Naruto DVDs being sold in the US that are not manufactured by them are not licensed and therefore illegal. Especially if there are DVDs being sold that are rips of the original US DVDs (it doesn't say in the article whether or not there were). This is like when some US retailers are asked by US licensors to not sell legit Japanese DVDs and CDs when a series has been licensed for North America.

I guess the best person to complain to outside of anime studios would be the landlord (assuming he's leasing the store). This is a technique that was used by "family groups" in the past to keep record stores from selling "stickered" albums. If it works against sales of legit items, I can't imagine it not working against illegal items.

[something]

[ QUOTE ]
from article:
Henderson fully admits that his stock of HK anime is made up of unlicensed copies, but he doesn't believe what he's doing is illegal, since the true copyright dispute is between Japan and the home country of the bootleg producer.

[/ QUOTE ]

Haha I love this. Grade 'A' hilarity. What a shitbag.

[golthin]

[ QUOTE ]
disarm said:
[ QUOTE ]
from article:
Henderson fully admits that his stock of HK anime is made up of unlicensed copies, but he doesn't believe what he's doing is illegal, since the true copyright dispute is between Japan and the home country of the bootleg producer.

[/ QUOTE ]

Haha I love this. Grade 'A' hilarity. What a shitbag.

[/ QUOTE ]
The sad thing is that the authorities either don't care and think it is too much trouble for such a small operation; or agree with the guy, as he has been visited by the FBI and not charged.

[Starwind Amada]

What a loser. That's all I can say. Let's pretend he's a terrorist and bomb his house.

People like this Henderson douchbag are not anime fans. They're just greedy bastards who see anime as a money-making oppurtunity, but they think they are a fan because they saw 3 episodes of Naruto on CN. Dumbass probably supports 4Kids, too.

Time to send a horde of Starwind XGP-79Gs* to this monkeyfucker's house.





*A Ground Type Gundam with grappler arms. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Buster Darkwings]

OT, but wouldn't "Starwind" be a better name for a space-type Gundam?

[DKL]

I don't really know about the whole piracy issue anymore... I mean, it's all over the place and I can't really grasp it.

But man, the other dude (Henderson) is being a real douchebag about everything

[shukusatsu]

[ QUOTE ]
disarm said:
Haha I love this. Grade 'A' hilarity. What a shitbag.

[/ QUOTE ]
Shitbag is a great word...I need to use it more often. But yes, shitbag pretty much sums that guy up. Asshat even. I'm getting my ticket to Denver (or wherever that Henderson guy is) to pay him a visit. MWAHAHAA.

[fantasydewdrop]

[ QUOTE ]
DKL said:
I don't really know about the whole piracy issue anymore... I mean, it's all over the place and I can't really grasp it.

But man, the other dude (Henderson) is being a real douchebag about everything

[/ QUOTE ]
Well, he IS selling boots of licensed titles, so it's hard to be in the grey area on the licensed ones....

I can't belive that he's actually getting away with all that crap while the legit dealer up the street from him has to loose sales. I hope Sony sues his ass off for the FF7:AC boots. If they hate piracy half as much as they seem to, they'd be glad to get this guy.

[Lego]

It's sadly a mentality that many have when it comes to anime. Sure I'd love to have a million dollars to go and buy every series I want or have wanted. But that isn't going to happen any time soon. Does that mean I'm going to spend 20-30 dollars on someones rips where the subtitles look like they were done by first graders? Nope.

I see the same excuse/mentality on IRC and other places all the time. While I buy DVD's, I can understand the whole money issue. But some people seem to think because they don't have enough cash to buy the real thing, that it gives them a excuse to go buy a pirated copy.

[something]

[ QUOTE ]
KasiTL said:
I hope Sony sues his ass off for the FF7:AC boots. If they hate piracy half as much as they seem to, they'd be glad to get this guy.

[/ QUOTE ]

I get the impression Sony only cares about making life as hard as possible for the people who actually buy the products.

[guyverfanboy]

It's a shame this Henderson guy isn't put behind bars. /images/graemlins/sad.gif

[Loafy]

[ QUOTE ]
But some people seem to think because they don't have enough cash to buy the real thing, that it gives them a excuse to go buy a pirated copy.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is it in a nutshell. Everyone out there seems to have this sense of entitlement to it and thus justify the fact that they buy bootlegs. It's quite sickening and this sense of entitlement is only gonna get worse since the dawn of the internet kids have everything they want at the touch of a couple of keys. Why make money to buy these thinsg when I can steal them all off the internet.

[krelyan]

[ QUOTE ]
He sees his bootlegging as a way to force the American companies that license and distribute anime to lower their prices, which are often too expensive for young fans.

[/ QUOTE ]

My personal favorite. As if that couldn't be farther from the truth.

[Legion]

The article doesn't mention anyone telling this Henderson joker that bootlegs tend to have mafia ties. Someone should maybe try, because he'll debate endlessly on intellectual property rights since it is kind of intangible but how can one argue with the fact that bootleg DVDs are used to launder money?

[Legion]

[ QUOTE ]
Krelyan said:
[ QUOTE ]
He sees his bootlegging as a way to force the American companies that license and distribute anime to lower their prices, which are often too expensive for young fans.

[/ QUOTE ]

My personal favorite. As if that couldn't be farther from the truth.

[/ QUOTE ]

Indeed. I'm no business major, but he's gotta be awfully ignorant if he really believes that.

[Starwind Amada]

[ QUOTE ]
Loafy said:
[ QUOTE ]
But some people seem to think because they don't have enough cash to buy the real thing, that it gives them a excuse to go buy a pirated copy.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is it in a nutshell. Everyone out there seems to have this sense of entitlement to it and thus justify the fact that they buy bootlegs. It's quite sickening and this sense of entitlement is only gonna get worse since the dawn of the internet kids have everything they want at the touch of a couple of keys. Why make money to buy these thinsg when I can steal them all off the internet.

[/ QUOTE ]

Henderson is one of those "elite" anime "fans" who believe that anime is a right and not a privilege. He believes that because he can't afford to spend twenty bucks on a Naruto DVD, he's entitled to download a few Quicktime movies, slap them all onto a DVD-R (while in the process degrading the video and audio quality severely), and throw it on his store shelves for probably five bucks, all the while believing that he's the "true" anime fan and that the Suncoast down the street is a greedy, money-hungry conglomerate that sells overpriced DVDs from little-known companies that use Betty the cafeteria worker and Herbert the garbage collector to dub their series. It's pathetic that he doesn't realize that what he's doing is lowlife criminal activity and that he is undoubtedly supporting the Italian mafia. No better than a terrorist.

[Lego]

I agree with you, except it's usually the Chinese bootleger that does this then ships em out. If he did it himself, that would open him up to legal action.

The sad thing is even if anime DVD's were 10-12 dollars a piece, this guy would still be operating his store. Like someone said before, the guy can care less about anime, he probably sees it as a money makeing thing. The sad thing is though, to get back on topic is if DVD's dropped down that low, you'd still have people who wouldn't buy one.

[Legion]

[ QUOTE ]
Starwind Amada said:
he is undoubtedly supporting the Italian mafia. No better than a terrorist.

[/ QUOTE ]

Um, probably the Hong Kong mafia (The Triad), actually...

[christianlf]

[ QUOTE ]
Legion said:
[ QUOTE ]
Starwind Amada said:
he is undoubtedly supporting the Italian mafia. No better than a terrorist.

[/ QUOTE ]

Um, probably the Hong Kong mafia (The Triad), actually...

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm still trying to figure out how he went from accusing the guy of making them himself to then somehow connecting that to supporting the Italian mafia.

The hilarity never stops. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif It's all part of Starwind's endless stream of non sequiturs, each new one more bizarre and outlandish than its predecessor.

[golthin]

[ QUOTE ]
chmblspuzz said:
[ QUOTE ]
Legion said:
[ QUOTE ]
Starwind Amada said:
he is undoubtedly supporting the Italian mafia. No better than a terrorist.

[/ QUOTE ]

Um, probably the Hong Kong mafia (The Triad), actually...

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm still trying to figure out how he went from accusing the guy of making them himself to then somehow connecting that to supporting the Italian mafia.

The hilarity never stops. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif It's all part of Starwind's endless stream of non sequiturs, each new one more bizarre and outlandish than its predecessor.

[/ QUOTE ]
He probably went with the most common Mafia known in the USA. It is not like we here in the USA get affected as much by the Triad or Yakusa.

[Suwako Moriya]

Honestly this seems to be another case of jerk talking out of his ass because he's full of crap. The true sad part isn't the story. It's the fact these stories are a dime a dozen.

[rainking187]

[ QUOTE ]
Starwind Amada said:It's pathetic that he doesn't realize that what he's doing is lowlife criminal activity and that he is undoubtedly supporting the Italian mafia. No better than a terrorist.

[/ QUOTE ]

He doesn't have a choice, they made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

[Fencedude]

[ QUOTE ]
Starwind Amada said:
[ QUOTE ]
Loafy said:
[ QUOTE ]
But some people seem to think because they don't have enough cash to buy the real thing, that it gives them a excuse to go buy a pirated copy.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is it in a nutshell. Everyone out there seems to have this sense of entitlement to it and thus justify the fact that they buy bootlegs. It's quite sickening and this sense of entitlement is only gonna get worse since the dawn of the internet kids have everything they want at the touch of a couple of keys. Why make money to buy these thinsg when I can steal them all off the internet.

[/ QUOTE ]

Henderson is one of those "elite" anime "fans" who believe that anime is a right and not a privilege. He believes that because he can't afford to spend twenty bucks on a Naruto DVD, he's entitled to download a few Quicktime movies, slap them all onto a DVD-R (while in the process degrading the video and audio quality severely), and throw it on his store shelves for probably five bucks, all the while believing that he's the "true" anime fan and that the Suncoast down the street is a greedy, money-hungry conglomerate that sells overpriced DVDs from little-known companies that use Betty the cafeteria worker and Herbert the garbage collector to dub their series. It's pathetic that he doesn't realize that what he's doing is lowlife criminal activity and that he is undoubtedly supporting the Italian mafia. No better than a terrorist.

[/ QUOTE ]

I feel compelled to point out that you appear to not have the first clue what you are talking about.

(Quicktime? QUICKTIME!? Jesus man...)

[something]

[ QUOTE ]
golthin said:
He probably went with the most common Mafia known in the USA. It is not like we here in the USA get affected as much by the Triad or Yakusa.

[/ QUOTE ]

(In my ignorance of what airs on TV in the US I may be referencing a show that isn't even on the air anymore, but...) When do you think we'll see the Sopranos episode where they negotiate a deal for a warehouse full of Naruto and GitS bootlegs? =D

[Pelianth]

Enough guys. Stick to the original topic or this thread will have to be locked.

[Fencedude]

[ QUOTE ]
Pelianth said:
Enough guys. Stick to the original topic or this thread will have to be locked.

[/ QUOTE ]

How was my post NOT on the original topic? This is about bootlegs right?

[Pelianth]

[ QUOTE ]
Fencedude said:
[ QUOTE ]
Pelianth said:
Enough guys. Stick to the original topic or this thread will have to be locked.

[/ QUOTE ]

How was my post NOT on the original topic? This is about bootlegs right?

[/ QUOTE ]
Talking about bootlegs does not necessitate a confrontational manner regarding other posters. Nor was that message directed solely at you. There have been several posts bordering on personal attack in response to Starwind's post. Disagree with him if you like, but keep the vitriol level down please.

[bctaris]

*bored inbetween Olympics commercials...decides to finally look into this thread*

Interesting that I did. Didn't know it was local. I drive by that store every once in awhile and never cared about going in before. Guess I have a good reason not to reconsider that decision.

But some day, maybe aggravated by traffic, if I'm feeling especially confrontational perhaps I'll drop by and ask how they feel about supporting Hong Kong organized crime.

[Fencedude]

[ QUOTE ]
Pelianth said:
[ QUOTE ]
Fencedude said:
[ QUOTE ]
Pelianth said:
Enough guys. Stick to the original topic or this thread will have to be locked.

[/ QUOTE ]

How was my post NOT on the original topic? This is about bootlegs right?

[/ QUOTE ]
Talking about bootlegs does not necessitate a confrontational manner regarding other posters. Nor was that message directed solely at you. There have been several posts bordering on personal attack in response to Starwind's post. Disagree with him if you like, but keep the vitriol level down please.

[/ QUOTE ]


I did keep the vitriol down. I could have called him a <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>fucking idiot</span> But I restrained the impulse.

See? I'm trying to be good.

[Nylock]

[ QUOTE ]
Fencedude said:

See? I'm trying to be good.

[/ QUOTE ]

Then try harder. Geoduck could tell you the name of the device you just used, but it's late and I can't recall it. To save us from any further attempts at "trying harder", from you or anyone else, this thread is being locked.