<a href='http://www.animesuki.com/doc.php/legal/mediafactory.html' target='_blank'>http://www.animesuki.com/doc.php/legal/mediafactory.html</a><!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Removal of Media Factory Inc. WorksAnimeSuki is a website that aims to be a portal for finding all unlicensed English anime torrents. By limiting the content to only unlicensed anime, we had tried to avoid associating AnimeSuki with piracy, even though as stated on the Licensed Anime page, fansubs are technically a violation of copyright. By not listing licensed anime, AnimeSuki avoided getting into any legal trouble with US anime companies, simply because we don't list anything they hold the copyright of.As also stated on the page mentioned above, up until now (or we must unfortunately say: up until recently) fansub groups and anyone involved in the publication of fansubs had little to worry from legal pressure from Japan (ie. from the anime studios - the original copyright holders). We believed that at best Japanese anime studios condoned our actions or at least ignored us as being not much of a threat to them (in terms of revenue, etc).Unfortunately, it seems times have changed. On December 7, 2004 AnimeSuki received an email from a Tokyo law firm who represents the interests of Media Factory Inc. (a Japanese anime studio) requesting us to stop uploading "works" (anime series) of MFI to our website and/or stop "inducing" our visitors to websites where their "works" can be downloaded.Needless to say, AnimeSuki has never offered direct downloads of any anime series, nor (with very few exceptions) had anything to do with facilitating the downloading of any of the anime series listed on the site. Also, considering the circumstances it's not entirely sure if, in case this issue ever goes to court, whether they would succeed as AnimeSuki is nothing more than a collection of links, which should not be illegal.However, the legal notice was addressed at me (GHDpro, creator and webmaster of AnimeSuki) personally and I do not wish to get involved in any kind of legal trouble. Therefore I have decided to remove any links to any "works" (anime series) by Media Factory Inc. from the site immediately. I hope you can understand that I don't wish to become the target of any legal action that Media Factory Inc. might take if I fail to comply with their request, regardless of the level of success such legal action might actually have. I simply want avoid any legal trouble, period.Affected anime series by Media Factory Inc.The decision to no longer list any anime series (present and future) of Media Factory Inc. currently affects these series:    * Kimi ga Nozomu Eien (including Akane Maniax)    * Genshiken (including Kujibiki Unbalance)    * School Rumble    * Gankutsuou    * RahXephon (OVA only, TV + Movie is licensed already)    * UFO Princess Warukyure (any season)    * PugyuruA complete list of Media Factory Inc. anime series can be found here.Will fansub groups stop fansubbing these series?That is of course entirely up to them. However, it is not entirely impossible that due to these developments fansub groups decide it isn't worth the risk and may drop these series.Licensed?You may have noticed the affected series (mentioned above) are now marked as "licensed" in the database of AnimeSuki. Please note that this is only because this is the easiest way to get these series permanently off the site. It has no other purpose and meaning than that. The scripts of AnimeSuki will be modified to display a different message soon.Is this a hoax?Unfortunately it is not. The main reason for delaying the decision to remove the links was to verify the authenticity of the email. However, the only conclusion we could come to is that this is real. Apart from the email a real letter was also sent from Japan by international mail, futher confirming its authenticity.The beginning of the end?Maybe, maybe not. Depends on if any other Japanese anime studio decides to follow MFI's example. AnimeSuki will continue to list fansubs of anime series for which MFI does not hold the copyright, unless told to do otherwise. So unless AnimeSuki is made obsolete by virtually every anime studio taking the same action as MFI, we won't close down!DiscussionsDiscussions regarding this incident can be found on the following forums:    * AnimeSuki Forums    * Wannabe Fansubs Forum<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->Well, this is certainly a first, a Japanese company requesting the takedown of fansubs!

Pretty shocking news, although I'm a little surprised it hadn't happened sooner. I think there is little doubt that fan-subbers will still keep fansubbing, and its reassuring to see that animesuki does not intend to shutdown, but I'm a little worried that this action by Media Factory will definitely spur other anime studios to follow suit, making the closing down scenerio an eventual reality.in other words, this sucks. I was just about to start School Rumble <!--emo&:(--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->

Theres another thread about this somewhere already lol, we should consolidate them x_x

It sucks a lot that they did that.and the fear is that it probably will provoke the other studios to take legal action. those that care at least...i dunno how many that is.i mean, they have a right, but it still really sucks ><

@_@likeeveryonesaid,ialsohopethatotheranimecompaniesdontfollowwhatmediafactorydidorelseitwillbetheendoffansubbingforallofusT_T^argh...cheapschoolkeyboard'sspacebarisbroken

<!--QuoteBegin-Kamui+Dec 9 2004, 09:21 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Kamui @ Dec 9 2004, 09:21 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->^argh...cheapschoolkeyboard'sspacebarisbroken

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<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->Wow, thats gotta suck lmao

Hey, I made this thread 5 hours earlier >:OEh, I guess it's my fault for making an ambiguous title >_<

Ah crap. i've been worried about this happening for some time now. with some japanese websites starting to cut off non-japan visitors, all the signs were pointing to this.it'd be a sad day for the online anime community if this doesn't stay as an isolated case. going underground just doesn't feel very inviting. <!--emo&:(--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->

I heard this all stemed from the fact that some groups managed to released subbed versions of Akinane Maniacs even before the OVA DVD's were out. If this will lead to some kind of major crackdown on fansubs, who knows? But I seriously doubt this is the end of fansubs.

Well, too bad for us anime fans, if they dont want us to be their fans anymore what can we do?

This sucks bad... . Please support your local anime distributor! Well, I wish. No, I don't. Japan follows the same path as the USA, investing in lawyers to protect their millons of jink. I started to like Genshiken and now some motherfucking lawyers hit on animesuki and the fansubs. I don't remember the song name or artist, but it went like "...It's all about the money, son..." . Not like I didn't know, but hey, I don't live in Japan, I don't know japanese, ad I depend on fansubbers. R1 DVDs suck major ass, and they're expensive here, and I have NO local anime distributor. But I have Inuyasha on Cartoon Network! Inuyasha sucks, so does the spanish dub, and Kagome is Aome in this spanish diVersion. I think now people must do the raw distribution and some other group the subtitle distribution in ssa, srt, sub, whatever, and everything as anonymously as possible. If the fansubs don't have a name, legal threats have no destination address, virtual or physical. Maybe the time for FreeNet is now? We never noes!

So, does this mean other sites will begin to take down torrents and downloads? Or is only animesuki affected? I'm sure there will still be people who fansub unlicensed anime... it's just animesuki won't host them?

Bantam, did you guys release some sort of official statement or something? It's spreading like wildfire and WannabeFansubs are everywere on the news! (Like ANN... <!--emo&:D--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->)Ahhhhh!!! What is going to come of this?! <!--emo&:(--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->

<!--QuoteBegin-Veniogenesis+Dec 11 2004, 02:15 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Veniogenesis @ Dec 11 2004, 02:15 AM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Bantam, did you guys release some sort of official statement or something?  It's spreading like wildfire and WannabeFansubs are everywere on the news!  (Like ANN... <!--emo&:D--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->)Ahhhhh!!! What is going to come of this?!  <!--emo&:(--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->

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<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--><a href='http://www.wannabefansubs.net/tenma/index.php?showtopic=48&st=0&p=296&#entry296' target='_blank'>http://www.wannabefansubs.net/tenma/index...p=296&#entry296</a><!--emo&:P--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo-->

Yeah this really sucks. I hope other companies don't do the same thing. I actually only purchase dvds of those series that I have watched entirely and loved. Now if this keeps up, I will probably buy less and less anime.