Anime News
Fake C&D Letter Date: 1/5/2006 |
Letter Falsely Purports to be from Geneon -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Geneon has confirmed that a Cease and Desist letter currently being distributed and purporting to be from Geneon Entertainment (USA), Inc, is fake. The letter, which is quoted below, informed fansubbers that they must cease the distribution of Amaenai de Yo!! Greetings, I am sending you this notice to inform you that you are violating a copyright law by distributing a motion picture in which Geneon Entertainment (USA), Inc own and/or control the exclusive rights of. We therefore ask you to cease and desist all activity in distributing "Amaenaide Yo!!". Failure to cooperate with us in any way may lead to prosecution. We are aware you may not have known Geneon Entertainment (USA), Inc. held this copyright, so please use this as a first and final notice. Geneon Entertainment (USA), Inc. respects the fact fansub groups, such as yourself, thrive on providing translated material to dedicated viewers, but once a license is held by a U.S. firm, it then becomes illegal activity for anybody but the license holder to distribute the material. We thank you in advance for your cooperation. A. Holden Geneon Entertainment (USA), Inc. The letter falsely states, "once a license is held by a U.S. firm, it then becomes illegal activity for anybody but the license holder to distribute the material." It is in fact illegal (in most countries, including the USA and the EU, to distribute copyrighted material without the owner's permission, regardless of whether the material has been licensed in particular market. Geneon informs us that any legitimate cease & desist that the company sends will include full company contact information, a person's full real name and would be on official Geneon letter head. Furthermore a statement would be made through online sources as well as the Geneon corporate website. |
Source: Anime News Network |