Bandai Entertainment is taking action against illegal fansubs and issued a statement saying that it would be now carefully monitoring the market for creation and distribution of illegal fansubs or other pirated Bandai titles, with emphasis on Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society.
In its statement, Bandai cites that fansubbing licensed anime constitutes as copyright infringement and said that it will “take all measures available to stop the illegal distribution of titles” which include taking people into court and fining charges for the loss of sales if suitable.
“Fansubs, even those not sold for profit, are harmful to our properties and industry overall and we will be watching closely to make sure our rights regarding SSS are not infringed,” said Ken Iyadomi, President of Bandai Entertainment Inc. “We are prepared to take legal action against fansubbers and illegal download and other distribution sites if this notice is ignored,” he added.
This is the first time an anime company has publicly announced a warning and stated that it would take legal action. Bandai Entertainment wants big success from its Ghost in the Shell series, and its not going to let fansubbers cut sales. Be prepared, because whether you like it or not, a time is coming where people will have to start buying their own anime.
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