fansub dilemma

[wiggins]

Hi!
Recently, my stance on fansubs has changed, but I have already downloaded a whole bunch of anime fansubs. Should I dispose of all the fansubs I have already collected? What do you think? I am reluctant because if I do so... it would flush alot of many invested in blank CD-Rs down the drain... So could someone please give me some advice?

[Ashley]

Hi there. We've had this discussion quite a few times at these threads:
http://www.christiananime.net/forums/showthread.php?t=680
http://www.christiananime.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1116
Hope this helps.

[wiggins]

Yeah, but that doesn't tell me whether I should dump what I already have or if I can keep them...

[Haibane Shadsie]

I think that it is legal to distribute fansubs for free (not sell them) if they are a series that has yet to be licensed in the U.S. Once a series becomes licensed, distributing fansubs becomes illegal.

My internet is too slow to download anime, anyway, and I can't afford to get a cable modem and all that good stuff right now. However, I have a online/pen pal friend whose anime club watches lots of fansubs. She burned me "Azumanga Daioh" to DiVX format on a series of CDs - I watched it never knowing whether or not it was ever going to be licensed (It had so many Japanese-specific jokes!). Recently, "Azumanga Daioh" has been licensed by ADV Films. I don't think it's illegal for me to have the fansubs that I have because I got them before the series got licenesed. It would, however, be illegal for me to sell or copy and distribute the episodes that I have, though. (By the way, I want to buy official/licened "Azumanga Daioh" eventually, anyway, because I want to see if any of the jokes got changed... I also couldn't get the last episode to work on my computer and it's driving me crazy...)

So, I'm okay with keeping my current CDs of "Azumanga Daioh" for my personal viewing pleasure. However, when this same friend offered to burn me copies of "Haibane Renmei" in fansub, I refused her because the series has been licensed and is beginning to be distributed. I decided that I will wait to see the series beyond the fourth episode by buying it legitimately. (I also like the little extra things that come with official DVDs).

That's how my matter of principle works. Yours may be diffrent. As for your CDs, if you wish to get rid of your fansubs... I do not know if there is any way to erase or to overwrite your CDs. It's sad to waste all that disk space but... hey, CDs are pretty cheap nowadays, so I wouldn't sweat it.

You can do with them what I like to do with unwanted AOL CDs I get in the mail - make craft objects out of them! They can also be useful if you have a garden to scare away birds - just hang them in the garden and the shiny will scare birds away.

[wiggins]

Haha! Thanks! That helps clear things up.

[wiggins]

That really helps settle the legal issue, but what about the Christian side of it? Does it change anything? I kinda find myself asking WWJD, but I don't think Jesus would even have gotten Himself into my situation.

[TheMelodyMaker]

I think that it is legal to distribute fansubs for free (not sell them) if they are a series that has yet to be licensed in the U.S. Once a series becomes licensed, distributing fansubs becomes illegal.

Then why bother making fansubs in the first place?