Author Topic: Facts & Identification of Pirated Anime, Bootlegs, etc. (Read 15789 times)

Greg Hines · « **Reply #20 on:** April 03, 2008, 02:21:27 am »

The Geneon discussion is interesting and all, but let's take it to another thread, please.

Valkyries_veil · « **Reply #21 on:** July 06, 2008, 05:48:27 pm »

Hi,
To start with, Thank you for posting this thread! I'm also one of those people who has trouble telling the difference(my boyfriend saw me on this thread and came down with 8 or 9 dvds, so I suspect I'm about to get a comprehensive lesson).

As a further question I have heard that there are some companies that produce the pirated stuff and they have logos, etc. Short of going to ANN and checking the licensing for each series before I buy is there a short list of legal or illegal companies? I'm more concerned about stuff I might pick up at a convention than in a store, because I usually think about a purchase a lot before I spend a chunk on a dvd.

Thanks!
Val

Katie · « **Reply #22 on:** July 07, 2008, 09:44:57 am »

Just so you know Val NDK has a no tolerence policy for bootlegs so you won't be picking up any at our convention. I can't speak for other conventions though.

I believe Son Mae or any product with an SM-(insert a bunch of numbers here) is usually bootleg. Roger would know more.

Rippy The Nekomatta · « **Reply #23 on:** July 07, 2008, 09:55:45 am »

Huh, a bunch of my Weiss Kreuz CDs are from Son Mae, but that's the only way you can find them. I tried importing them directly, but that was so expensive. Then I just stopped trying to find Weiss Kreuz anything and started to just download it all.

Matareno · « **Reply #24 on:** July 07, 2008, 12:02:29 pm »

I once did come by a bootleg as NDK back in 2000. I could tell because the package was a grainy colour of blue, but there was no Son-Mae SM- anywhere on it, its like they took the inserts and xeroxed them. later I did get a real copy from the same retailer in the mail, and then I could tell a grater diffrance. I don't think the same guys come to NDK anymore which is good.

Greg Hines · « **Reply #25 on:** July 07, 2008, 04:07:47 pm »

Quote from: NagiNaoe101 on July 07, 2008, 12:22:24 pm

Well, I couldn't find anything for Weiss Kreuz that wasn't from Son-mae, if anyone can find me copies that are REAL I guess I will buy them, but they have to be 15.95 or no deal. I'm stubborn and it HAS to cost the same as an American CD. If it is 45.95 or higher, NO DEAL!

Then you're part of the problem. They're cheap *because* they're bootlegs. If you expect to pay the same for a legitimate DVD as you might for a bootleg disc, you're deluding yourself. And for what it's worth, anime would be cheaper if people didn't buy bootlegs. Just saying.

And thus ends this diversion. This thread is about identifying bootlegs, not on anyone's opinions about bootlegs. Feel free to start another thread on the subject, but please don't continue that conversation in this thread.

Exodia · « **Reply #26 on:** July 07, 2008, 05:06:26 pm »

How often are bootlegs found in the NDK dealer's room?

Idoun Knight · « **Reply #27 on:** July 07, 2008, 09:58:22 pm »

Quote from: Exodia on July 07, 2008, 05:06:26 pm

How often are bootlegs found in the NDK dealer's room?

Not sure, but since most conventions ban the selling the bootlegs (Either the vendor is ejected or fined if they are caught selling them) probably not that much.

Although the rival store to Gimmie Anime, Anime DVD seems to be rank with bootlegs both with licensed series and CDs. Their justification is that it's still an import or people are impatient and might die. Personally, I don't see that as an excuse, but it's still an anime store, so you don't bite the hand that feeds you.

Also one of the employees said that Geneon got out of the American market because Funimation sued them for censoring anime. So creditability is shot too.

Greg Hines · « **Reply #28 on:** July 08, 2008, 12:06:46 am »

Yeah, there's not much love for that shop around here... (Anime DVD, that is, not Gimme Anime. We love Gimme Anime.)

NDK has a zero-tolerance policy for bootlegs. It's con-wide. It applies not only to the dealers room but every aspect of the con.

I think we've had the occasional instance of bootlegs at NDK, but it's always caught very quickly by the dealers room staff. I've never personally seen a bootleg at NDK because if there ever is a problem, it's already been dealt with by the time I get into the dealers room on Friday evening.

Joel Berger · « **Reply #29 on:** July 08, 2008, 12:40:35 am »

Quote from: Matareno on July 07, 2008, 12:02:29 pm

I once did come by a bootleg as NDK back in 2000. I could tell because the package was a grainy colour of blue, but there was no Son-Mae SM- anywhere on it, its like they took the inserts and xeroxed them.

Scanned and reprinted on an inkjet printer, actually -- I had a similar experience, probably from the same dealer, that same year. The disc had all the markings of the original (catalog number and logo from the Japanese label), just printed in lots of very visible ink dots, not like most commercial printing at all. Worse, upon a moment's inspection (I didn't take the time nor even know to do so in the dealer room), I saw that the disc was a CDR. Outside of Hong Kong discs, the only bootlegs so blatant I've seen since have been at a non-anime con where I make a point of avoiding most of the dealer room (because the game, rather than 'spot the bootleg', becomes 'spot the legitimate merchandise').

The dealer in question is still around from what I can tell, but he seems to have cleaned up his act quite a bit since (I've even bought from him at other cons), so I'm inclined not to name names. I just chalked it up to learning and went on.

Idoun Knight · « **Reply #30 on:** July 08, 2008, 12:47:20 am »

You know what would be a great con game that is actually be an event?

'Spot the Bootleg'

Pretty much you have several variations of the same thing, but one is the bootleg. Pick the right one that's a bootleg and you pass the round. It starts out easy, and by the end you get the high level boots that do very good copies of the original.

GimmeAnime · « **Reply #31 on:** July 08, 2008, 09:12:59 am »

Quote from: Greg Hines on July 08, 2008, 12:06:46 am

Yeah, there's not much love for that shop around here... (Anime DVD, that is, not Gimme Anime. We love Gimme Anime.)

Aw shucks... anyway, something I want to repeat that I said at a bootleg presentation: Don't shop at ANY place that deals in bootlegs. At all. I know some people only buy the legitimate items from such shops, but, you know what? Every sale is money in their pocket. Every sale helps pay the rent, keeping the lights on, the phone and internet up. Every sale allows them to have money to buy more stock, bootleg or not. And this is true for a retail shop, an on-line store, or a convention dealer. Coincidently, that applies to the legit stores as well. Every sale. This applies to the anime companies as well. Any sale and every sale. Your money is the best voting power and every dollar you spend is your vote to keep a store running or not.

Oh, and by his own admission, the owner of Anime DVD doesn't know much of anything about anime. He is relying on the employees of his former neighbor for information. Take that as you will.

Quote

think we've had the occasional instance of bootlegs at NDK, but it's always caught very quickly by the dealers room staff. I've never personally seen a bootleg at NDK because if there ever is a problem, it's already been dealt with by the time I get into the dealers room on Friday evening.

It's been known to happen occasionally and no system is perfect. I've seen it happen at cons larger than NDK. And sometimes it's the fault of a malicious dealer, who will pull the items when the con staff catches him and then turn around and put it back out when the coast is clear. NDK is usually nice enough to allow people a chance to straighten up and fly right, but a repeat offender gets the boot and banned. This is why certain dealers have disappeared from NDK, no matter their popularity.

And it's not just DVDs or CDs. People forget that bootlegs also encompass plushies, pins, wallscrolls, posters, t-shirts and more. Some of those vendors were removed for those items, not DVDs and CDs.

Rippy The Nekomatta · « **Reply #32 on:** July 08, 2008, 03:13:49 pm »

Question I do cross-stitch using scanned images, is that bootlegging too? Because some of the pieces that I do are fan requested. I use software to render an image to be stitched into a grid format, but some of the pictures people have requested are fan art or sometimes images they found on the net that they want to put on grid.

I suppose I should bring up next time I do cross-stitch that I can't do anything from an anime.

Joel Berger · « **Reply #33 on:** July 08, 2008, 04:26:55 pm »

Quote from: NagiNaoe101 on July 08, 2008, 03:13:49 pm

Question I do cross-stitch using scanned images, is that bootlegging too?

DISCLAIMER: This is my personal opinion. I work in video, not dealers/artist alley and have no control over bootleg policy. Don't take this as NDK policy advice, because it's not.

In the case of scanned images, I'd have to say yes with a couple possible exceptions. This falls under the heading of bootleg things other than media. But I did mention that there are exceptions. Fan art, while it may be legally questionable, has generally been tolerated as long as it's not hurting the image of the original or directly lifting artwork. Without this tolerance, doujinshi in whatever form would be mostly impossible.

So with that in mind, there are a couple cases with which I'd personally have no problem:

If it's your original art, regardless of who created the characters/series.
If you have permission (preferably in writing) from the creator of the artwork.

In either case this would potentially allow you to still depict anime characters.

Greg Hines · « **Reply #34 on:** July 09, 2008, 09:27:41 am »

If it's only for personal use, you don't need to worry. Convert all the images to patterns that you want. It's legally "light gray" but no one will ever come after you for it. Just don't go selling those patterns or cross-stitchings. That's when the trouble starts.

Greg Hines · « **Reply #35 on:** July 09, 2008, 11:53:17 am »

Quote from: NagiNaoe101 on July 09, 2008, 11:42:10 am

That I don't intend to do, selling your talents is WRONG!

Selling one's talents is how most people earn money.

Now that the cross-stitching questions have been answered, let's get back to the topic of identifying bootlegs...

rini · « **Reply #36 on:** July 09, 2008, 11:58:35 am »

Greg Hines · « **Reply #37 on:** July 09, 2008, 01:11:14 pm »

Quote from: NagiNaoe101 on July 09, 2008, 12:15:30 pm

That's sounds like a lot of places I can't buy anything from, man, I suppose having to spend extra money is all I can do to conform and be like everyone else. *looks at the floor*

It's not about "conforming." Bootlegs are illegal, as rini said. They also don't support the companies and people that produce the anime. By buying legitimately-licensed anime, you're putting money into the pockets of the people who make this stuff so that they can afford to keep making it. By buying bootlegs, you're doing nothing to help the anime industry and you're supporting a criminal enterprise.

Greg Hines · « **Reply #38 on:** July 09, 2008, 01:32:42 pm »

Of course. Nothing wrong with *not* buying anime.

That said, WeiÃŸ Kreuz is available: http://www.rightstuf.com/cgi-bin/catalogmgr/browse/item/59426/4/0/0

RightStuf is even having a 20% off sale right now. That's a fairly steep price for a 25-episode series, though, I'll admit. Most newer box sets are closer to half that price.

If you're wanting to *watch* the series rather than own it, though, there are other ways to get anime. For example, Netflix carries a large selection of anime (including WeiÃŸ Kreuz) so if you have a Netflix account, the show it just a couple of days away.

rini · « **Reply #39 on:** July 09, 2008, 02:05:53 pm »

nagi: check stuff like ebay or craigslist.

we used to have a good amount of weiss kruez stuff at our store that was on consignment. you can always check there.

also, and this is just in general to avoid buying bootlegs, join webboards or myspace fan pages, or livejournal communities. there are always people trying to sell their stuff, and it's usually pretty cheap.

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Author Topic: Facts & Identification of Pirated Anime, Bootlegs, etc. (Read 15789 times)

Exodia