BitTorrent Anime Downloaders Identified, $3500 Bill in the Mail
Written by enigmax on August 16, 2007A company that distributes Japanese animated cartoons has tracked down thousands of BitTorrent users it accuses of breaching their copyrights and has successfully forced their ISPs to reveal their identities. Next step - threatening letters: “Pay Us $3,500 or Else”
Odex Pt. Ltd is a Singapore-based company that distributes anime in South East Asia. Created in 1998 it started distributing anime in 2000, later with titles such as Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist, Mobile Suit Gundam and Chrono Crusade.
In 2007 a decision was made in the company to start targeting people who share their material via BitTorrent after they claimed their sales had dropped 60-70 percent in just 2 years. After using a tracking system to collect the IP addresses of sharers, they have successfully forced StarHub - an internet service provider - to reveal the identities of 1000 BitTorrent users they accuse of breaching their copyrights. It had previously forced the ISP SingNet to reveal its customers details.
In all fairness, StarHub did put up a fight to keep the privacy of its users but it was little use. According to StarHub spokesman Michael Sim, although the company originally said they had “an obligation to protect our customers’ information”, the pressure from the courts was too great. A court order against StarHub was obtained in a closed chamber session in the Subordinate Court which forces them to hand over their customer’s details.
“In the instance of Odex,” said Sim, “they have satisfied the court of their need for the information. As such, we will comply with the court order”
The next step for Odex is a familiar one to file-sharers: they will use the list of names that StarHub supplies to send them threatening letters(pdf) declaring that they’ve been caught sharing anime, such as the hugely popular ‘Bleach’, and that the only alternative to being dragged through the courts, is to pay a $3000-plus ‘fine’. Not that they’ll have much time to think about the next step - Odex gives around 9 days for a response before it threatens legal action.
According to Stephen Sing (a director of Odex) the “downloading situation” in Singapore is very bad: “We have engaged companies to track illegal downloads in Singapore, and ratio-wise, we’re actually right up there in the illegal downloads in the world, in terms of Japanese animation.”
Interestingly, Stephen Sing is also a director of the AVPAS - Anti Video Piracy Association of Singapore and has become very, very unpopular. Just after the Odex anti-BitTorrent campaign began, Mr Sing made the mistake of using an online forum to joke about how many sharers he was taking action against, and the guys over at HardwareZone caught him at it, via their dedicated (Official) Anti-Odex Club.
Mr Sing has been dubbed ‘the most hated main in Singapore’s anime community’, with anime fans putting up his photographs and personal information onto the internet, making wanted posters of him, posting pictures of his wife on the internet, threatening him with violence and promising to set fire to his house. At this point, Sing called in the police.
Next ISP on the Odex hit-list is Pacific Internet - if they win, that’s another 1000 BitTorrent users about to get threatening letters and demands for $3000 - thats 3000 users in total.
Should everyone pay up, Odex stands to collect a massive $9 million. No wonder the death-threats didn’t deter Mr Sing.
Previously: Anti-Piracy Lobby Pressures Police to Take On The Pirate Bay
Next: Comcast Throttles BitTorrent Traffic, Seeding Impossible
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hey, thats a good idea, maybe if a whole bunch of use do it then there is that possibility that odex can go fck themself with a spoon! whats odex’s website? i wanna “feedback”… need more info before email-ing you-know-who…
ODEX SUCK
Just to clear up some things…
Yes, downloading is illegal, however, the point here is that Odex has no right to sue downloaders, simply because they do not own the actual licenses or the product itself.
Now if the japanese production houses were to start suing people, that would be an entirely different story. And if they did that, even people downloading unlicensed/unsubbed anime would be in trouble. However, that’s not happening yet.
Next, from a business point of view, what Odex is doing is utterly foolish, since they are killing their own business.
Sure, some may argue that it isn’t foolish, since most downloaders do not buy from Odex anyway, so it doesn’t affect things much, but those same people have ignored the fact that Odex’s products, in a word, SUCK.
And then another group of people are arguing that if everyone starts boycotting Odex over this issue, then there would be no anime distributor in Singapore (since Odex would collapse).
In my opinion, good riddance. If I wanted to buy anime DVDs (who the hell still buys VCDs), I would order good quality ones from overseas, so whether Odex survives or not, I don’t give a fucking damn (pardon my language).
Yep i fully agree ….and i reali hope that singnet n starhub would appeal and fight back odex..since pac.net had won….Lets hope that Odex falls =.=
Fansubbers shld burn their subs on DVD and sell for a small sum on ebay! Don’t think ppl can be caught that way. Plus it’s like 26 eps in a disc +/- and it cost like $0.50 or less for a DVD RW and maybe $3 for postage. I would personally pay $3.50 for a whole series on ebay rather than buying Odex’s crappy stuff.
Hmm…btw…just thinking…
If Odex is, quoting the judge ruling the pacnet case, “neither a copyright owner nor an ‘exclusive licensee’”, and on top of that not a government body, does that make their “sniffing”/tracking of ppl’s ip address using some software that they acquired illigal??? Can ppl who have their ip address “sniffed” out hold a case against them? If they do not have the right to acquire other ppl’s ip address, like every other laymen, and internet dealings, doesn’t it make them criminals?
[quote comment="148048"]It seems like the majority of posters here are forgetting that piracy is illegal …[/quote]
Priracy IS illegal, but let’s not forget that the downloaded items are taken from TV recordings which is not considered illegal.
Furthermore, all of the subs have explicitly said that the sub versions are for free. Further more, the true fans (of which are many and from personal expericnce) are more than happy to pay for good quality-subbed anime AFTER watching downloaded ones. Odex has failed badly in the area of subbing. The anime-community is NOT stupid.
I think the heart of the matter is this:
When does an item become ‘illegal’ in the eyes of the law? From the moment it is taped from TV? (that’s alot of people to sue) Or from the moment it is distributed freely? (I’m guessing 2/3 of the nation has to be sued.)
For all it’s worth, this will be an interesting ride.
“When does an item become ‘illegal’ in the eyes of the law?”
I think the real question is, how can we deal with laws that can arbitarily be redefined to favor big business? As it is, even big businesses are against VHS recording…
LOL Yup, I’m with the 99.9% saying this is bullshit, 3k for one episode is technically serious bullshit honestly, and this obviously doesn’t startle downloaders if they know what they are doing, besides they can seriously sue as many pple as they please, 1) It’ll make then richer and more ridiculous 2) Piracy won’t ever die. If any one wants to stop piracy - Shut down the whole internet, you want anime sales to climb? ->Stop airing them for fucking free on TV, and blame the one who first invented computers thats your real enemy, not some 9yr old kid…Fucking Piracy hater - Odex can suck my nuts
BTW as a fellow singaporean I’m disgusted with these money hungry bastards, and I’m glad i left that country when i was 1yrs old btw I’m happy I’m at home in Canada posting this post
Btw, is it possible for Odex to track if you download from http or other direct downloads?
I know P2P is probably a little riskier and i’m NOT touching any bitorrent cos Odex can kiss my butt b4 they see my money. XD
Why the japanese studios only pick on Singaporeans? Why don’t they go after the downloaders in America. In fact, I believe the people who upload the anime torrent files (seeders) are probably American kids/fans.
because singapore is 1 of the highest countries that have so call ‘illigel downloaders’ around then world and many houses in singapore have high speed internet access….
lets hope pac net wins against 0dex and starhub would appeal against 0dex too….Singtel is a betrayer internet service….haven even fight 0dex in court and decided to giv up and provide 0dex with ips.
Free animes ur only life? Just happened you got sued?
Cannot Afford To pay due to family problems? Easy solution, Kill him and his wife, you wont burden your family, you help the anime society.. We will mount u a hero forever in our hearts =D
What’s happening here is an information war. Odex clearly is not giving all the info it knows to the public and as far as one can tell, the reports has always shown Odex being supported by the law in Singapore and the Japanese companies.
I don’t know about you guys, but I only obtain anime through underground methods (read: ‘illegal’) WHEN it is not available in Singapore - unfortunately, that is alot. When the opputunity arises though, I’ll gladly buy to support.
And as for the report that Singapore is the 1st in ‘illegal’ downloads, I feel that’s PURELY, PURELY bullshit.
for tripDei: Odex cannot track you, but other companies that specialise in the Internet, or even the ISP themselves can do so. However, going through such a process is questionalbe. To top it off, it violates the privacy ruling and that is why the judge threw out the request to let Odex claim the names from Singtel (or was it StarHub?). There ARE ways to mask your IP but it’s not my forte…
then wads ur suggestion…
e.g u have any ways for us to Dl anime without getting caught?
[quote comment="160270"]then wads ur suggestion…
e.g u have any ways for us to Dl anime without getting caught?[/quote]
cough”youtube”cough
save HACK COUGH! tube
Okay, While I agree with most that Odex is not following up something that is really in their field of them having anime stolen, its only one company. Also (lol) I’ve never even heard of them before, so I would think that if their quality sucks and are not very well known, who would want to steal from them.??! Besides there are many better ways to steal and not get caught. EX: Download dvd decryption software and rent a dvd from fucking blockbuster, decrypt the sob, and do what the hell you want after that. And for the people who want to make an arguement about how to get subtitles for the less sophisticated decryption software, you’d be better of using a site with DDL. Besides bit torrent depends to much on others that want the same file. And as for Stephen Sing, he can suck my dick and fucking like it. Good luck for fellow downloaders. Mwahahahahah!
Hmm… I’ve a faulty disc in one of the original anime DVD series I bought from overseas through ebay, with no return policy allowed. So does that make me a pirate if I just download the relevant episode(s)? I mean, they should’ve differential judgement on case by case basis…
I’d prefer reading in my native language, because my knowledge of your languange is no so well. But it was interesting!
quote comment=”155529″]Why the japanese studios only pick on Singaporeans? Why don’t they go after the downloaders in America. In fact, I believe the people who upload the anime torrent files (seeders) are probably American kids/fans.[/quote]
the fansubs are legal, except when licenced. and the fact its downloaded ‘illegally’ in the us is commercial retailers charge so much. in some cases you get 3 episodes on a dvd for $20. not a good deal. do they charge similiarly in singapore that it would be downloaded this way over there too?
it dosent matter either way . If you go to a lan and someone has legally bought a movie you get get a copy of it.. We just need to have more lans . That fuck those wankers up
I’d prefer reading in my native language, because my knowledge of your languange is no so well. But it was interesting! Look for some my links:
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