Do NOT ask for Downloads! [Or Streaming Video Links]

[Kazuki-san]

Requesting Downloads is NOT Allowed

Please follow the Grokster vs MGM case. Think 1984 Betamax ruling...

This really isn't the place to debate this, but if that's what you want.. Grokster vs MGM deals with whether Grokster can be held accountable for copyright infringment of their users, since Grokster did not actually cause the infringment to occur, the users did so themselves. Grokster may not be held liable, but individual users are completely liable if they infringe upon copyrights. The Betamax case was the same. Betamax couldn't be held responsible for any infringments created because someone who owned a Betamax copied a tape. The end user is very much liable, however. Like I said earlier, don't confuse something being illegal with someone knocking on your door trying to take you to jail, but it's illegal all the same.

 

[camelot187757]

Requesting Downloads is NOT Allowed

Does asking for downloads include requesting anime tracks and mp3s from other users not direct downloads but like pages to other sites that have them?

Im probably gonna get a lot of flack fro this and more flack for read the rules moron and crap but ya know what i don't care i gotta simply question and if it can keep me from getting kicked off the im gona ask away bisotches

 

[Tempest]

Requesting Downloads is NOT Allowed

Addendum:


Addendum: Requesting information about sites that legally provide downloads/streaming anime, etc, is permitted. Exampless include Total Vid, etc...

 

[radicaledward]

Requesting Downloads is NOT Allowed

I don't know why you think that downloading copyrighted works is legal in Canada (as you claim)...

First off, it is in fact legal to download licensed music files (not sure about other formats) because there is a levy on all recordable media sold in Canada that is collected by the Canadian Private Copying Collective (CPCC). This levy in turn means that Canadians have certain rights as to what they can do with their media including copying it for personal use, and making copies of other peoples music CDs (in short I could loan a Canadian friend one of my CDs for them to copy and it would be legal). Also, it is legal for Canadians to download a musical work from the internet for personal use, however, they cannot upload works to the internet.

Canadian copyright levy

...but I'm a citizen of the USA, and in the USA, it IS, and ALWAYS WILL BE, illegal to download copyrighted works.

Actually, no, it is in fact quite legal to download copyrighted works in most cases. Case and point - the Anime News Network homepage is a copyrighted work, but you downloaded a copy of it when you were browsing the site. What you need to do is take into account fair use of copyrighted works.

Fair use basically means that you use said work with in the permissions given by the owner of the work (such as downloading a website into your browsers cache for viewing). Also, fair use has an extremely gray area (gray as in undefined, it not very explicit with the advent of digital media) that it is unclear as to how things work if you own one from of the media (DVD, CD, ect) and download a copy of it in a different format from another source. Technically, I am free to convert my entire CD collection into MP3 format for my personal use, so you would think that you should be able to download what you already own - like I said gray area.

 

[Zalis116]

Requesting Downloads is NOT Allowed

Just curious, what's the site verdict on AMVs? I ask this because I've seen links allowed on some threads but mod-edited on others. I've always thought that since AMVs aren't complete anime episodes, and can't act as a replacement for legitimate commercial products, they aren't the same as other pirated material like bootlegs/fansubs/scanlations/DVD-rips etc. Granted, AMVs are various kinds of illegal, and I guess they qualify as music file-sharing, but why would people download an AMV just to rip the audio file when they could find the .mp3 elsewhere and listen to it for less effort?

 

[angel_lover]

Requesting Downloads is NOT Allowed

Does asking for downloads include requesting anime tracks and mp3s from other users not direct downloads but like pages to other sites that have them?

It looks to me as though that's covered by rule 10 too, and the answer is 'YES'.

If you look back through the forum, you'll see a lot of pro/anti wars going on, but from this site's official point of view, my guess is that the major concern is not moralising, but copyright laws that could make ANN liable to heavy penalties for publishing information on where to get things that infringe copyright.

 

[Ragg]

Requesting Downloads is NOT Allowed

Fansubs are illegal?

Click here

Fansubs are illegal

 

[Shiroi Hane]

Requesting Downloads is NOT Allowed

To quote the horse (Bandai):

The creation of translated versions [of Solid State Society] is considered an unauthorized derivative and constitutes infringement of the intellectual property rights in the work as well as unfair competition. Furthermore, uploading and downloading of the programs without an official license or explicit consent by the content owner(s) constitutes infringement of copyright, trademark and other intellectual property rights, and is an illegal act.

 

[camelot187757]

Requesting Downloads is NOT Allowed

right wouldn't want to get you guys shut down

 

[Dagwood]

Requesting Downloads is NOT Allowed

The thread title needs to be about twice the size, and it should flash.

:lol:!!!

know full well that all threads asking for downloads will be locked, and the user may be banned if deemed necessary.

I think you should ban them for a week right off. If and when they complain, you could just point them to Teh Rules, this thread, and several other places on ANN and say, we told you so! Other wise, I have a feeling it's not going to stop.

 

[dormcat]

uncertain~

Why should ANN be any different from a DVD review site? They watch the DVD, review it, and you read it to see if you'd like to rent/buy the DVD and check it out yourself. They didn't intend for you to read their reviews so you can download it online.

There are...twelve [b]preview[/b] guides at ANN. Maybe ANN should stop doing previews in the future.

 

[biliano]

Requesting Downloads is NOT Allowed

I hope that when you say "illegal" you are referring to it being illegal to request downloads, etc. on this site. Because, as I have mentioned before, downloading is NOT currently illegal in most of the world! Please, I don't agree with it, but I can't stand when people go on about how it is illegal, when by law, it's not. However, it certainly is immoral.

I don't know why you think that downloading copyrighted works without permission is legal in Canada (as you claim), but I'm a citizen of the USA, and in the USA, it IS, and ALWAYS WILL BE, illegal to download copyrighted works without permission from the owners. Let's not turn this thread into another debate about downloading, for I will request the mods to lock this announcement if it does turn into another downloading debate - we had too many of those running rampant around the forums. The mods made these rules for a reason. Allow me to display what Chris MacDonald, ANN's Editor-in-Chief, mentioned a while ago in relation to downloading:

Fansubs and Bootlegs are illegal. period.
Bootlegs are immoral .period.
Fansubs are of questionable morality ...elipses...

We're not going to tell you whether or not you can download fansubs or buy bootlegs, we aren't here for that. We just don't want to see issues of questionable ethics promoted here.

It's not because we don't want to annoy the licensors and retailers that visit this forum, it's quite simply that we don't want to promote further expansion of the fansub and bootleg "markets." Anime fans that can't wait (or who live abroad) will be resourceful enough to find fansubs without this forum helping them, and people of limited ethical value will manage to find bootlegs without us as well.

So then, this is the end, no discussions about obtaining fansubs or bootlegs, and no discussions about how to view them once they are obtained.

Christopher Macdonald
Editor in Chief
Anime News Network

He also gave this stern warning:

ANN will not allow discussion regarding obtaining illegal material, nor will we allow discussion regarding technical aspects of viewing such illegal material.

So there you go. Follow the rules, and we won't be so hard on you. Break them, and the mods will indeed kick you out of the forum. :twisted:

EDIT: After re-reading this post, I made myself unclear as to what I wanted to say. Problem fixed. Sorry to mislead you.

 

[Steventheeunuch]

Requesting Downloads is NOT Allowed

The thread title needs to be about twice the size, and it should flash.

Subsequently, the obtaining of works that have been reproduced without authorization from the person who holds the rights to produce copies IS an infringement on copyright laws, which can lead to fines and imprisonment depending on where you are, and if you are charged.

It is illegal, however it's only punishable to the extent the original copyright holders will take it. Upload and Downloading is simply a means to an end in this case.

 

[Kazuki-san]

Requesting Downloads is NOT Allowed

Technically, I am free to convert my entire CD collection into MP3 format for my personal use, so you would think that you should be able to download what you already own - like I said gray area.

It's not actually gray. You can convert your cd collection to MP3, but you cannot download an MP3 of something you already have on MP3. It's a common misconception that most people have. When you buy a cd, you are also, in effect, buying a license which allows you to listen to the music, make MP3 backups, etc. (although it should be noted that when it comes to CDs, defeating copyright protection and encryption is illegal) The license only applies to that CD though, you are not granted the right to download an MP3 copy of what you have on CD.

And actually, Fair Use does not involve using rights given by authors. Fair Use involves using or reproducing portions of a copyrighted work WITHOUT permission, in certain situations.

 

[cerealkilllerr]

Requesting Downloads is NOT Allowed

This doesn't have anything to do with the whole "downloading on ANN" thing, but... what are youall's feelings about youtube.com? a lot of people upload full episodes of anime on there.

 

[IvoryBirch]

Requesting Downloads is NOT Allowed

At this moment, I am currently preparing to post a thread listing the top 50 sites from which one can download anime. :wink:

Anyhow, this is indeed a topic that was in dire need of being posted. However, I must admit that I found it mildly amusing to see how many threads entitled "where can i download such-and-such" (or something to that effect) would amass during the day. Then again, I'm just a lazy arse who lets all the dirty work be done by the moderators, most of whom I imagine have developed whiplash from repeatedly banging their heads against their desks after reading the aforementioned threads.

 

[fighterholic]

Requesting Downloads is NOT Allowed

Fansubs are illegal?

Yes. Take a look around the forums and look at the discussions revolving around fansubs. You'll see that they are quite controvercial.

 

[Tony K.]

Requesting Downloads is NOT Allowed

Before I was a mod, over the years, I've seen various people ask for and post links to AMVs. I remember seeing more of them being covered up than left alone because of the circumstance you just explained about elements of the AMVs being illegal.

If you read rule #10:

10) Users may not request or link to bootlegs, fansubs, scanlations, active fan-translating groups, peer-to-peer networks, timed scripts, MP3s, unauthorized movie clips, or websites that house these groups or products. Links to and discussions about websites that provide authorized, legal downloads are permitted.

I would technically categorize the video portion under the "unauthorized movie clips" part.

And as a mod now, I just try to go by the rules when I see them being violated.

 

[radicaledward]

Requesting Downloads is NOT Allowed

It's not actually gray. You can convert your cd collection to MP3, but you cannot download an MP3 of something you already have on MP3. It's a common misconception that most people have. When you buy a cd, you are also, in effect, buying a license which allows you to listen to the music, make MP3 backups, etc. (although it should be noted that when it comes to CDs, defeating copyright protection and encryption is illegal) The license only applies to that CD though, you are not granted the right to download an MP3 copy of what you have on CD.

Eh, yes and no. I did some reading around, and this seems to be the case - yes you can have MP3 copies of the music you have under fair use laws (for both archival purposes and personal use purposes), however, the means through which you get those copies where things get tough. In short, you either have to make the copies yourself (such as a CD ripper), or you receive them through an approved distributor. If you download them from a P2P network you would be technically guilty of copyright infringement due to getting them from someone that is also committing copyright infringement if they didn’t have the permission of the original copyright holder.

(although it should be noted that when it comes to CDs, defeating copyright protection and encryption is illegal)

I was hoping that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) wouldn't get brought up because it opens a whole new can of worms. Case and point - I have a CD that I want to make a copy of to play in my car on a long trip, under the fair use laws this is acceptable as long as I don't get my copy to anyone and it is for my personal use. Now here is where things get interesting, when I start to make the copy at my computer I find out that it is a CD-E (a Blue Book format CD with an audio and data section) with both a that has anti-copy software on the CD. According the DMCA there is nothing I can do at this point to copy the CD without violating the DMCA; however, under copyright fair use the software is preventing me from making a legal copy of the CD for my use.

Add to the factor that in most cases if the software doesn’t start running I can make a copy of the CD and be in violation of the DMCA at the same time and you start to see why things are complicated. Case and point – if I put the CD in my Linux box it doesn’t start playing because it is a Windows only program, this technically defeats the copy protection even though it was a failure in the development of the software though which it failed.

And actually, Fair Use does not involve using rights given by authors. Fair Use involves using or reproducing portions of a copyrighted work WITHOUT permission, in certain situations.

Yeah, I got the terms mixed up - thanks for pointing that out. ^.^' Still can't remember what the right term would be for such a situation (copyrighted webpage being downloaded to a computer for temporary viewing while browsing) - implied consent perhaps?

 

[Zalis116]

uncertain~

then you guys just read reviews, don't watch the actual anime or what? i mean it makes no sense to me. those people read the reviews and thought it would be interesting to find out where to download the animes they wanted. and if they post it here, they will be banned. what about making a thread just for them? thats my opinion

Or you see it could be that the people read the reviews, find it interesting and buy the anime.... Also, reviews are from a perspective of a person, and also it depends on the mood of a person. Although good reviewers can minimize that and think from a broader perspective, reviews should be taken lightly, and not something you should take to as a sole reason to get it... or not get it..

That is the idea, that people will read the reviews and buy the DVDs, if what they read in the review indicates that they'll like it. Even if a reviewer has tastes opposite yours, you can buy what they hate and skip what they recommend :evil: But, as I mentioned in a thread about anime recommendations, for those who only download and never buy, any recommendation is a pointer to what to DL next.
Sidenote:

#3. You can watch the anime on your TV without burning something to a DVD.

You don't need to burn anything to a DVD if you have a video card with the right outputs.