Ebay looks to take a more active approach against bootlegs [Archive]

Kaikou

04-09-2006, 12:48 PM

Ebay now has a link at the bottom of each item page to allow users to report an item if it violates an Ebay policy. I'm not sure how effective it is, but it's worth a shot to try and see if works.

Article (http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200604031626262.html)

Here is a direct link to reporting "Unauthorized Copies of Media":
Link (http://cgi1.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?InlineSelfHelpWebForm&userid=&UsingS SL=0&siteid=0&partnerid=2&wftype=7b6576419713e1e8& messageID=4ed620cea49cfb6f&replyTo=4ed620cea49cfb6 f&subject=8ae07f7dbceab10df11a544b268c8ffcefccd755 e133e0532883a313737905ae&bcrumb=906ab94c4f0a40110c 35e15717ccf739f0b802017620a2dd53b0ffc0f9bb268defa5 5fd80d1fe42862ba96e63c54202755c5bde0ae245910e8fc07 99d7c48f30bef5c61a7770e2a7d678fe5cc2eae6e76166ee07 d9b4e9ffb619a28655bfccc9eb3e5961b4ef4b93&rcode=cfd 8d5c3716d158c6257c054a83061ac&instruction=&expirat ionDate=&err=0&dstURL=&bshowgif=false&bc1=default& bc2=default&bc3=default&bc4=default&bc5=default&bc 6=default&bh1=default&bh2=default&bh3=default&bh4= default&bh5=default&bh6=default&history=default&rd ir=0)

To test and see if reporting an item actually works, I think everyone should report the following item:

Cowboy Bebop Complete Series BOOTLEG (http://cgi.ebay.com/COWBOY-BEBOP-ANIME-DVD-COMPLETE-1-26-EPS-BOX-SET-ENG_W0QQitemZ9123267760QQcategoryZ41524QQrdZ1QQcmd ZViewItem)

I know there are some of you who might have the opinion of just ignoring the problem, as it doesn't directly affect the individual, but to me that is the same as ignoring any crime happening in a community. Not to mention Ebay obviously wants to hear about these violators of their policies.

Ebay seems to be moving in the right direction and if this can get sellers auctions shut down and eventually banned from Ebay, all the better. I don't think we have a chance of cleaning up Ebay's DVD bootleg problem, but making it hard for those who are bootleg sellers is worth it, in and of itself.

Here is a site that gives a very indepth look at anime bootlegs and can be used either to find bootlegs to report or just for use when browsing Ebay for anime goods to buy.

Anime Bootleg FAQ (http://www.digital.anime.org.uk/piratefaq.html)

crion

04-09-2006, 01:35 PM

Reported. Hopefully they actually pay attention to these reports. All bootleg reports on half.com were cheerfully ignored after eBay acquired half.

porkchopexpress

04-09-2006, 02:17 PM

I reported it also. Though I doubt that bootleg link will stick around for long.

mcarocks2003

04-09-2006, 03:33 PM

Ebay only seem to take action against people who distribute anime on dvd-r while ignoring the Hong Kong bootlegs.

I tried reporting them in the past but all i got was a responce saying 'they don't see anything wrong with the listing' even though i pointed it out the obvious facts.

Kaikou

04-09-2006, 04:08 PM

[ QUOTE ]
mcarocks2003 said:
Ebay only seem to take action against people who distribute anime on dvd-r while ignoring the Hong Kong bootlegs.

I tried reporting them in the past but all i got was a responce saying 'they don't see anything wrong with the listing' even though i pointed it out the obvious facts.

[/ QUOTE ]

About four or five years ago they would regularly shut down bootleg auctions if enough people reported them. Then at some point came out with their VERO program, which meant no individual could get an auction shut down. (only a registered copyright owner)

They are trying something new, so only time will tell if it will work or not. (meaning if they will actually take down the auctions, ban the seller etc.)

All we can do is wait and see if this one auction gets taken down and go from there. If people posted 10 auction numbers, then it would only be a matter of ~20 seconds or so to copy and paste them in their form to report them. (for those who don't want to spend time gathering up item numbers on their own)

darkhunter

04-09-2006, 04:27 PM

mcarocks2003

04-09-2006, 04:41 PM

Surely we should report the seller rather than the listing?

That way we can give a detailed description of the problem.

Kaikou

04-09-2006, 05:56 PM

[ QUOTE ]
mcarocks2003 said:
Surely we should report the seller rather than the listing?

That way we can give a detailed description of the problem.

[/ QUOTE ]

First you report the listing by using the first link, (which as a result reports the seller). Then you use the second link and report up to 10 listings. I used both, but it almost looks like the second link is all that matters. (or matters the most)

Iridium

04-09-2006, 08:32 PM

I think this thread will be an exception to the 'no bootleg links' rule for now (unless Chris B. overrules it.) I've told the forum software to 'keep' the thread so we can refer other users to it.

Kaikou

04-09-2006, 08:38 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Iridium said:
I think this thread will be an exception to the 'no bootleg links' rule for now (unless Chris B. overrules it.) I've told the forum software to 'keep' the thread so we can refer other users to it.

[/ QUOTE ]

I made sure to put "BOOTLEG" in the url name, just to signify as such. I think I'll add the "Anime Bootleg FAQ" url in the OP as well.

Japschin

04-10-2006, 01:40 PM

I seriously doubt that Ebay would be doing anything to the bootlegs, especially when the sellers are power sellers.

Bootleg sellers, sp**tt and covermean had been selling for years but they were never removed or penalized for selling bootlegs or even misrepresenting them. I almost got cheated once by covermean, he was selling Saiyuki volumes 1-12 for only $60 and advertised saying they are original sealed releases. I complained to Ebay but nothing was ever done.

mcarocks2003

04-11-2006, 11:51 AM

I also reported the listing.

Patiently waiting for action to be taken.

Kaikou

04-11-2006, 12:05 PM

[ QUOTE ]
mcarocks2003 said:
I also reported the listing.

Patiently waiting for action to be taken.

[/ QUOTE ]

Looks like Ebay has no intention of cutting out such a big money maker for them, that being people who sell loads of bootlegs. Granted there is still five days, but I'm not holding my breath.

Corwyn

04-11-2006, 02:13 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Smashingblue said:
[ QUOTE ]
mcarocks2003 said:
I also reported the listing.

Patiently waiting for action to be taken.

[/ QUOTE ]

Looks like Ebay has no intention of cutting out such a big money maker for them, that being people who sell loads of bootlegs. Granted there is still five days, but I'm not holding my breath.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well what did you report him for. There is nothing in his listing that says it's taped from TV, or on recordable media. Therefore it does not fall under "Unauthorized Copies of Media". Check out the examples of what Ebay considers Unauthorized Copies of Media and then check out what ebay considers violations of Copyright Infringement.

As far as I can tell VERO is still the only way to report violations of pure copyright infringement. Meaning it is still in the hands of the US Distributors.

Remember, EBAY CAN'T suspend him for THINKING it's a bootleg. They could be sued very quickly that way. This is why VERO is a good thing. Imagine some fool getting carried away and reporting an ODEX item as a bootleg.

Unauthorizzed Items info page (http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/replica-counterfeit.html)

Copyright Info Page (http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/copyrights.html)

John

HyugaKojiro

04-11-2006, 04:42 PM

Anybody feel like taking this guy down:

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZtoilaviet11QQhtZ-1

I already reported his first ten auctions as boots, might help to get some support!

mcarocks2003

04-19-2006, 03:44 AM

I've tried reporting everyone who posted counterfeit auctions but they just don't respond.

HyugaKojiro link actually shows people selling the anime they've downloaded.

Ebay don't care if they're selling pirated copies as long as people don't cause a fuss. Most of the sellers doing this seem to have a very high feedback ratio meaning public awareness is poor.

EDIT - someone actually bought the Cowboy Bebop set and left positive feedback - ARGH! The battle is lost...

kamillebidan

04-19-2006, 04:16 AM

Next time I see a bootleg, I'll report it in. They should've had this system in place a loooooong time ago...

HyugaKojiro

04-19-2006, 10:35 AM

[ QUOTE ]
mcarocks2003 said:
HyugaKojiro link actually shows people selling the anime they've downloaded.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well it's still a bootleg. The last time I checked you don't have to be an "established" Hong Kong based distributor of anime, who releases dvds without having the license, for your dvds to count as boots. I do understand your point though as its the HK based ones, who are the powersellers, which are making lots of money on the boots, while the the guy I linked to is simply someone people who don't have high speed internet to downlaod from BT would buy the fansubs from instead. Both are boots though.

[ QUOTE ]
mcarocks2003 said:
EDIT - someone actually bought the Cowboy Bebop set and left positive feedback - ARGH! The battle is lost...

[/ QUOTE ]

If it bothers you that much make a new account with fake info, this is very easy now you don't even need an email address such as comcast or AOL; yahoo will do just fine, win all his auctions and leave negative feedback for all stating that the dvds were boots. Or you could make two accounts and bid up one of his items to astronomically high levels to make him pay huge amounts of seller fees. Sure its not a nice thing to do, but what he's doing isn't nice either, plus there's no way to track your actions back to you since all the info is faux. I know I'm such a nice person /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

mcarocks2003

04-19-2006, 12:57 PM

I wasn't saying it they aren't bootleg because they defintly are. I was simply stating that the person was actually selling downloaded anime.

In my opinion thats an even bigger crime. They are selling fansubs and dvd rips which they attained for free in order to make 100% pure profit.

At least the HK sellers actually have to buy counterfeit stock.

millionsknives

04-20-2006, 09:49 PM

eBay has to figure out how to clamp down on this bootleg stuff. I tried searching some items to get a sense of the market for the stuff I am selling and all I found was 7 pages of bootlegs with maybe 1 legit copy sandwiched on each page. Frustrating...

ape2020

05-07-2006, 04:45 PM

Okay the Cowboy Bebop one didn't seem to work since it looks like a "BIN" worked and the seller is still selling boots. So I propose a new target to test this: escrima_raider (http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZescrima_raiderQQhtZ-1)

Now this seller has exploded onto ebay with hunderds of Avi listings that only work on pcs. And there is no "BIN"s to end them quickly. But they did keep the auction under three days and they are already getting back positive feedback.

If eBay is really trying to get rid of boots I feel these types of seller should be easy to spot and take down. I have my doubts but I reported up to 15 of escrima raider's listings and targeted some of the biggest ones he's got.

I will watch from my end but I would hope all you guys would do the same and start pounding eBay about this seller. This way we can find out if eBay will take action fast and if they will move on a seller or just single listings.

-chimp1010

kusanagi-sama

05-07-2006, 06:50 PM

[ QUOTE ]
HyugaKojiro said:
Anybody feel like taking this guy down:

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZtoilaviet11QQhtZ-1

I already reported his first ten auctions as boots, might help to get some support!

[/ QUOTE ]

Looks like it worked, there are no items listed under his name. (And no longer a registered user)

Doberman

05-10-2006, 02:18 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Chimp1010 said:
Okay the Cowboy Bebop one didn't seem to work since it looks like a "BIN" worked and the seller is still selling boots. So I propose a new target to test this: escrima_raider (http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZescrima_raiderQQhtZ-1)

....

-chimp1010

[/ QUOTE ]

No longer a registered user.... Looks like ebay will actually take down the obvious bootlegs. Getting them to recognize the nicely packaged bootlegs from China is another story. There is a "counterfeit" selection when reporting items, but no subcategory for media. But I've been tempted to use that category anyways to see what would happen.

Vicious

05-11-2006, 08:17 PM

I'm sure this won't help my popularity here any (can it actually get any lower) but . . . I had some old bootlegs that I wanted to get rid of so I listed them on Ebay. Only one of my auctions got shut down and that was because it was a Rightstuf product and apparently Rightstuf ratted me out. So unless the license holder is the one who complains, I don't think Ebay is going to be shutting many bootleg auctions down.

Kaikou

05-11-2006, 08:30 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Vicious said:
I'm sure this won't help my popularity here any (can it actually get any lower) but . . . I had some old bootlegs that I wanted to get rid of so I listed them on Ebay. Only one of my auctions got shut down and that was because it was a Rightstuf product and apparently Rightstuf ratted me out. So unless the license holder is the one who complains, I don't think Ebay is going to be shutting many bootleg auctions down.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's pretty inconsiderate, admitting you sold a bootleg of a Rightstuf product, being that Shawn Kleckner regularly visits the forums. (really admitting the selling of any bootlegs is uncalled for)

Vicious

05-11-2006, 08:35 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Smashingblue said:
[ QUOTE ]
Vicious said:
I'm sure this won't help my popularity here any (can it actually get any lower) but . . . I had some old bootlegs that I wanted to get rid of so I listed them on Ebay. Only one of my auctions got shut down and that was because it was a Rightstuf product and apparently Rightstuf ratted me out. So unless the license holder is the one who complains, I don't think Ebay is going to be shutting many bootleg auctions down.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's pretty inconsiderate, admitting you sold a bootleg of a Rightstuf product, being that Shawn Kleckner regularly visits the forums. (really admitting the selling of any bootlegs is uncalled for)

[/ QUOTE ]

Considerate or not, it's the truth. I bought the stuff awhile back and I am not going to throw something away when I can make money off it.

Tell you what (since you're talking such a good game) - you pay me to throw them away instead of the money I can make by selling them. If not, then stop trying pass judgement on me.

By the way, there were some ADV, Funimation, and Viz discs in there too if that makes you feel better.

EDIT: I didn't post on here to start arguments with people with a 'holier than thou' attitude. I was just trying to tell you guys that Ebay hasn't really changed much, so I wouldn't get my hopes much if I were you guys.

Vicious

05-11-2006, 08:41 PM

Also, in case anyone is interested, this is exactly what Ebay sends you:

Thank you for your recent auction-style listing on eBay. Unfortunately, we
removed the following item(s):

9132605949 - Nadia - Captain Tylor - Dual - anime DVD boxsets

because The Right Stuf International, Inc. reported it to us for violating their
intellectual property rights. When eBay is notified by a rights owner of an
intellectual property rights infringement, eBay must remove the item in order to
meet certain legal requirements.

The following information may help explain the reason for your listing(s)
removal:

eBay prohibits unauthorized copies of media (such as software, video games,
music, television programs, and photographs). Unauthorized copies include (but
are not limited to) backup, pirated, duplicated, or bootlegged copies. It is
both illegal and against eBay policy to sell unauthorized copies of copyrighted
media.

An intellectual property rights owner has notified eBay that this item is an
unauthorized copy of copyrighted material. Unauthorized copies include (but are
not limited to) copies that are pirated, duplicated or bootlegged. It is
illegal to sell unauthorized copies of media. When eBay is notified by an
intellectual property rights owner of an intellectual property rights violation,
eBay removes the posting in order to meet certain legal requirements. Please
check with the rights owner if you have any questions about their claim.

To review a tutorial pertaining to this policy, please visit the link below:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/tutorial/verotutorial/intro.html

Questions about the specific violation should be addressed to The Right Stuf
International, Inc. at the following email address: info@rightstuf.com

Your eBay fees for this item have been credited to your account. All bidders on
this item have been notified of its cancellation.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Repeated violations of this or other eBay policies may result
in the suspension of your account.

eBay understands that it can be frustrating to have a listing removed. If you
have further questions, you can take the following steps:

Take eBay's brief tutorial on Intellectual Property Policies and VeRO
Read the ended listings FAQ at
http://pages.ebay.com/help/confidence/vero-removed-listing.html
Ask eBay a question using the link on the above help page

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Regards,

eBay Trust & Safety

Kaikou

05-11-2006, 08:51 PM

Your just a hypocrite Vicious. In offtopic you talk about reporting an ex-friend to the IRS for defrauding on his tax return, yet you want others to keep their mouth's shut regarding your illegal activities? The sad thing is your reasons for reporting your ex-friend is because he was acting smarter and better then you. I expect such things from grade schoolers. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

I really don't care what you do, but to say which company's anime you are selling bootlegs of,on a forum they regularly visit is uncalled for. You could have easily just left out the company's name to save some face.

Vicious

05-11-2006, 08:58 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Smashingblue said:
Your just a hypocrite Vicious. In offtopic you talk about reporting an ex-friend to the IRS for defrauding on his tax return, yet you want others to keep their mouth's shut regarding your illegal activities?

I really don't care what you do, but to say which company's anime you are selling bootlegs of,on a forum they regularly visit is uncalled for. You could have easily just left out the company's name to save some face.

[/ QUOTE ]

I could have. But I wanted to let people know that it seems like Rightstuf is the only one who is actively trying to curb Ebay activity which I applaud them for. If a mod wants to edit the name of the company out, feel free to do so.

I'm not a hypocrite at all. Feel free to report me to anyone that you like. Also, if you read my post in OT, I never said I was reporting him to be a goodie goodie. I was reporting him out of revenge. Nothing more, nothing less.

Redcoffin

05-20-2006, 05:11 PM

I fear that if this thread becomes an abusive argument about whether or not someone is a hypocrite, it will be shut down. It's an interesting thread and I don't want that to happen so please, everybody take the "hypocrite" argument off-list, please!

kusanagi-sama

05-20-2006, 05:57 PM

Let's try to go after this seller:
dvd2005cartoon (http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=dvd2005cartoon&i id=9138437331&frm=284)

He sells from Hong Kong, and all of what he sells seems to be bootlegs.

ICanCareless

05-25-2006, 12:31 AM

[ QUOTE ]
kusanagi-sama said:
Let's try to go after this seller:
dvd2005cartoon (http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=dvd2005cartoon&i id=9138437331&frm=284)

He sells from Hong Kong, and all of what he sells seems to be bootlegs.

[/ QUOTE ]

Should nail the bootleg sellers within the US because its a lot easier, eBay can care less about oversea sellers.

HyugaKojiro

05-26-2006, 04:08 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Got Quattro? said:
Should nail the bootleg sellers within the US because its a lot easier, eBay can care less about oversea sellers.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually most bootleg sellers are from HK, even if they state that they operate from within the US or Canada (to trick people into buying from them), the items are still shipped from HK.

Also unrelated to this, but quite amusing, it seems that bootleg sellers are starting to draw their own covers now, this has got to be the most unattractive Motoko I've ever seen on a commercial (well almost) release:

http://cgi.ebay.com/GHOST-IN-THE-SHELL-S...1QQcmdZViewItem (http://cgi.ebay.com/GHOST-IN-THE-SHELL-S-A-C-1-26-eps-DVD_W0QQitemZ9140378077QQcategoryZ617QQrdZ1QQcmdZV iewItem)

Puppet Master

05-26-2006, 04:29 PM

[ QUOTE ]
HyugaKojiro said:
[ QUOTE ]
Got Quattro? said:
Should nail the bootleg sellers within the US because its a lot easier, eBay can care less about oversea sellers.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually most bootleg sellers are from HK, even if they state that they operate from within the US or Canada (to trick people into buying from them), the items are still shipped from HK.

Also unrelated to this, but quite amusing, it seems that bootleg sellers are starting to draw their own covers now, this has got to be the most unattractive Motoko I've ever seen on a commercial (well almost) release:

[/ QUOTE ]
I've seen that before and it really is pretty bad. I was wondering what the story with that image was.

HyugaKojiro

05-26-2006, 04:37 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Puppet Master said:
I've seen that before and it really is pretty bad. I was wondering what the story with that image was.

[/ QUOTE ]

That image kind of reminds me of past US releases of Megaman in which the US branch of Capcom left the artwork intact but changed the faces. It looks like the image was drawn by the same person in whole though, as the arm has the same crappy style of shadowing as the right eye.

Puppet Master

05-26-2006, 04:40 PM

[ QUOTE ]
HyugaKojiro said:
[ QUOTE ]
Puppet Master said:
I've seen that before and it really is pretty bad. I was wondering what the story with that image was.

[/ QUOTE ]

That image kind of reminds me of past US releases of Megaman in which the US branch of Capcom left the artwork intact but changed the faces. It looks like the image was drawn by the same person in whole though, as the arm has the same crappy style of shadowing as the right eye.

[/ QUOTE ]

Haha makes me wonder why they went through the trouble of drawing such an ugly piece of crap unless it's some kind of fanart that they ripped off. That's always a possibility.

HyugaKojiro

05-26-2006, 04:57 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Puppet Master said:
Haha makes me wonder why they went through the trouble of drawing such an ugly piece of crap unless it's some kind of fanart that they ripped off. That's always a possibility.

[/ QUOTE ]

That could be a possibility too, but if you look at some of the text found on some of the boots such as "no xcibition in cluds" it does fit in with that range of original boot quality, but then again the crappy text is probably a ripoff too /images/graemlins/relief1.gif

Puppet Master

05-26-2006, 05:04 PM

[ QUOTE ]
HyugaKojiro said:
[ QUOTE ]
Puppet Master said:
Haha makes me wonder why they went through the trouble of drawing such an ugly piece of crap unless it's some kind of fanart that they ripped off. That's always a possibility.

[/ QUOTE ]

That could be a possibility too, but if you look at some of the text found on some of the boots such as "no xcibition in cluds" it does fit in with that range of original boot quality, but then again the crappy text is probably a ripoff too /images/graemlins/relief1.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd say they do that on their own.

Dagger

05-27-2006, 01:03 AM

FWIW, that Motoko image was originally in a magazine. So it's "official" artwork, not fanart.

Chacranajxy

05-27-2006, 10:57 AM