Quote:
Originally Posted by ketaro  According to animenewsnetwork Gundam 00 is not licensed yet, so it is not illegal to watch it for the time being. Unless, whoever gets the license announces that the show is being dubbed then one should stop downloading and distributing the show. |
Reality check: in spite of liscencing to DISTRIBUTE material in the United States, International copyright law protects ALL material, anywhere in the world from distribution without permission or restitution to/from their creators. ALL fansubs and raws are illegal. Without exception, liscenced or not.
On youtube, a site that is popular in Japan: hosting a currently popular series is a phenomenally rotten idea. The videos won't last. SUNRISE will have them taken down.
BANDAI (SUNRISE) also controls it's own international distribution branch. Therefore they almost NEVER actually liscence anything. They don't have to. They already own the rights. They merely announce the titles they are going to distribute. "Liscencing", to anime news network, means the announcement of aquistion of rights for the US market or intent to distribute those properties. Until there is an announcement, they can't promise a US release: so the title won't be listed as "liscenced".
Naturally, fansubbers and fans of fansubs would like the series to exist in the "moral grey area" of "unliscenced" for as long as possible: but the reality is ~ The grey area for BANDAI (and media works) titles is actually quite a bit smaller than with others.
Further complicating Youtube: the people posting the videos there don't have permission from the FANSUBBERS either (nor do they tend to credit them). Watching anime on youtube is sort of like buying Chinese artbook rips printed on napkins: no one benefits (including you, the quality's crap).
Those looking for fansubs and approving of them know where to find them. I sugguest everyone take a few steps back when discussing sources: that's all.