The Old School Otaku Lounge

This is the text of a news release dated May 22, 1995 that was given out in Dallas, Tx at the Video Software Dealers Association Convention:

Japanese Animation Industry Unites to Form Anti-Piracy Organization

The Japanese Animation industry has formed an anti-piracy organization
called J.A.I.L.E.D. (Japanese Animation Industry Legal Enforcement
Division), in an effort to collectively protect the Intellectual property
rights of its members. An official announcement will be delivered today
by John O'Donnell, Managing Director of Central Park Media, at the Video
Software Dealers Association (VSDA) convention in Dallas.

Participating members of J.A.I.L.E.D. include AD Vision Inc, Animeigo Inc.
, Central Park Media Corp., Manga Entertainment Inc., Books Nippan,
Pioneer Entertainment (USA) LP, The Right Stuf, Viz Communications, and
Voyager Entertainment Inc.

J.A.I.L.E.D. is represented by an expert intellectual Property attorney
Jules Zalon, who with over 20 years of experience in the entertainment
industry, has successfully seized bootleg property and prosecuted
offenders throughout the country. Mr Zalon will work closely with the
organization in its quest to stop all future pirating of copyrighted
material, on VHS, laser disc, CD, CD-ROM, or any other format belonging
to these companies.

Additionally, a 1-(800) number has been established to assist in
informing J.A.I.L.E.D. of pirates and bootleggers. If you have any
information call:
1-(800) 917-9799

Japanese Animation represents an exciting new genre which has been hailed
by the press, with recent articles appearing in Wired Magazine, Billboard,
and the New York Times. The industry has grown exponentially in the
past five years, and J.A.I.L.E.D. demonstrates a unified effort to
eliminate piracy in the Japanese Animation Industry.

J.A.I.L.E.D.
250 West 57th Street Suite 317
New York, N.Y. 10107@0F@

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@0E@Date: 05-27-95 (01:35)
From: starbuck@raven.cybercom.com (Steve Pearl)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime
Organization: CyberComm Online Services



From what I heard, JAILED will be ignoring the small fans and going after
the commercial pirates. What Lopa is doing is not representative of what
JAILED intends to do. However, I am maitaining a wait and see attitude
myself. And this does not negate individual companies sending out C&D
letters to fans like Viz has done.

Steve
---
Stephen Pearl (Starbuck)
Internet: starbuck@cybercom.com WWW: http://www.cybercom.com/~starbuck/@07@


====================================


To: ALL
Subj: @0F@VIZ BOYCOTT@0D@
From: astroboy@neosoft.com (Mr. Fun)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime

{>No. As a software developer I don't see copyright violations as victimless

{>crimes.
{Yes, but guess what? if there isn't a copywright on the tape, it ISN'T
{PROTECTED! IT IS NOT A COPYWRIGHT INFRINGMENT! There are countries in the
{world that don't have software copywrighted in them, and therefore it's
{fine to copy them because there's nothing the company can do until they
{copywright it. The same holds true here. If there is no copywright on it
{then there can be no charges pressed. So far is my understanding of the
{copywright infringment laws.

You are mistaken. There are several international copyright laws that the US
and Japan have both agreed to. Anything copyrighted there is protected here,
even if the rights to this market haven't been sold. They are civil statutes
and not criminal, so you can't go to jail for fan subbing, but you can be
made to pay a fine.

International copyright protection is vital to development of certain kinds
of software. Look at Hollywood. If they didn't have any legal grounds for
prosecuting pirates in foreign markets, they couldn't count on revenues from
those markets. Most big budget films today are budgeted based on predicted
income from Europe and Asia, from both theatrical and tape revenue.

Someday I hope anime is in the same boat. If anime films could count on a
chunk of the US market, they could finance more and larger films.

The sole and whole point of J.A.I.L.E.D. (to paraphrase a line from the upcoming Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series "And what do you think about that?" "I think someone really wanted the name to be JAILED") was to appease Rumiko Takahashi and the ShoPro folks. What I recall was Rumiko was brought to a SDCC as a BIG DEAL THING and she was touring the dealers and seeing a s**tload of bootleg merchandise, not to mention the scattering of legit 'gray market' Japanese goods. And the fans were bringing the bootleg stuff (posters, wall scrolls, SM CDs, you know the stuff) for her to sign. And I understand there was much discussion. MUCH discussion.

I believe Rumiko's main question was "Do I get money from all that stuff? Why not?"

I think Viz's crew was quite red-faced. I have no idea why they thought the Suits from Japan wouldn't take umbrage at all the infringement of their intellectual property and such.

So there were a couple of high profile C&Ds sent, some chatter, and then it all just went away. Japanese Suits? Mollified.

It was an embarrassing time for everyone.