Hated Singapore anime licensor Odex continues its crusade against torrent using anime downloaders in Singapore, with its most recent move being to enlist the help of a number of Japanese studios to take legal action against a few downloaders who declined to roll over and pay a settlement.
Odex, which assures us its actions are definitely not “a profiteering mission to get as much money from everybody”, originally took action against naive torrent users after demanding user data from ISPs and enlisting the services of dubious anti-piracy companies, only to be rebuffed by the courts.
The studios, Showgate, Geneon Entertainment, TV Tokyo, GDH, and Sunrise, must all involve themselves (at least by proxy), as the earlier court ruling held that Odex could not itself sue, and that only the original copyright holders could act. Odex thus roped in the studios concerned to continue its actions.
Supposedly, Odex is not behind this most recent set of actions, although this leaves open the question of why Japanese studios would bother with litigation in Singapore.
A simplistic PR attempt to stop any more ill will being generated against the company by trying to portray the campaign as the actions of a third party, perhaps?
You can see a full account of this wicked company on the Odex Haet Wiki. Their anti-P2P crusade even has an entire article to itself now.
Amusingly, the company itself still hasn’t restored its website after it was hacked during the last fracas…
Didn’t you wanna fight back, well not sueing them, but forcing them to release more higher quality products?
It would be ashame that Singapore invite May’n but the anime released in Singapore still in VCD format >.<
What the heck? Torrents are illegal? LOL. Apparently Torrents are saviors to those people who can’t reach the goods because of A: The goods are not available in that area B: Extreme overcharge due to retailers trying to make an extra buck. or what ever it may be. Sure sue/screw piracy but think of those who use it personally and in a non-profit manner. XD
Didn’t agree, you are thinking about yourself. Think more about the product’s maker. They make stuff, they deserved to get money.
What would you do if someone stole your product (software / program) that you make in 6 months or more. The one who stole didn’t try to sale it, he only use for himself non-profit. But his friends come and copy it, also for self use only, non-profit, and again another friend, and again and again.
In the end, you don’t recieved money form what you had make.
P.S.
Always check official prices on the net plus add in shipping then do the math. if it’s over then you were screwed. Just a little reminder. ^ ^
Well it’s not surprising really considering how “free” Singapore is. And IIRC, Japanese uploaders also have the same problem with the authority there that tracks filed shared on Winny. The only reason that we get RAWS are because those were recorded by dedicated RAW distros that host it on their own Server, which by law the authorities cannot force the ISP to show what’s inside.
If the Singaporeans is at least have some intelligence, they could ditch P2P for animus and use an old, unloved but reliable and untouched by Odex method, DCC transfer via mIrc. Just as fast, and have dedicated server as well. This cannot be tracked back by the user as the ISP has no obligation to show the data that transfers via it, unlike P2P data
If you torrent, they just look at the peer list and find you dling/uploading red-handed. (Yes thats what they did)
Haruhi-chan is so kawaii…. and I also love the fact that the desk is pissed off. 😛
About the company, that’s really bad for Singapore-ans(?).
I really hope other countries don’t follow suit, and that something can be done against Odex.
I know that they legally can do that, but that’s like the worst thing a licenser can ever do.
Anime would have never become popular throughout the world if it wasn’t for people being able to download anime, and using torrents.
I’m willing to bet most of the profit Odex makes and even the creation of the company has a lot to owe to that.
So, they come into play, and wants to screw up people who actually created them? The very people who are responsible for their profit?
If something like that happened in Brazil, I myself (if not someone else) would get people together to screw up such company by any means necessary.
It’s ruled that Odex can only act independantly on the only title which they have exclusive rights; Gundam Seed.
Yet, they are pulling out people’s IP addresses which are found to be getting other titles which are not even on their “licensed” title list.
Other companies will send a C&D order to targets to stop whatever they are doing illegally before they take apprioriate action.
Yet Odex, which hardly anyone in Singapore has even heard of it, fires off love letters to either cave in to legal settlements or court settlements, knowningly that people will not dare risk having to pay more in lengthly court sessions.
Once again, Odex is NOT here to care for their consumers, but to rip them off with pathetic choice of preferred media format ( VCDs ), limited choice of DVD titles ( And poorly done/ Censored may i add ), and even fooled a whole nation.