Be Careful Guys!!

[Kyusaku]

somehow I just don't get the meaning of LICENSED! ... does it mean that something get licensed only when someone in USA license it? does that mean Blade and other toku series is NOT licensed? thought Bandai had licensed them ... so how is it suppose to be? kinda' confused my self now ... >.<

Depends in what sense you're talking about it. Technically everything aired on TV is owned by a certain company. Technically TOEI owns the license to Kamen Rider series, since they produce the show. Bandai has rights to produce products related to the show. When you talk about something like toku the license you talk about is mainly just ownership of a series in general. Bandai hasn't licensed any toku for release in the US, so Kamen Rider is not "LICENSED". (Except Kamen Rider V3, that was licensed by that hawaiian company)

However, when normally talking about things being subtitled in English, this relates to an American company licensing the series to be released in the US. When something is being subtitled into english this is the main forum where the word "LICENSED" usually comes into play. With most quality fansubbers, they have moral guidelines. The critical guideline is "Should the series we are subbing be licensed for release in the US we must discontinue the project. And discontinue the distrobution of the series." This is because the series will be released in the US and will be translated in a language that all Americans should understand.

A certain japanese production company has actually hopped the border and actually demanded certain group stop distrobution of a list of series that they produced, this was distrobution of fansubs of those series. So that "America only" thing might not continue for too long. That whole licensed thing is sort of a weak-copout, however should other companies speak out, those subbers should respect their guidelines and discontinue distrobution and subbing of the series.

 

[I_Legend]

so in that sense, Kyusaku, subbing a series is it actually considered as an act of piracy? if let's say some fansub grp in Japan sub Hibiki, for instance, at the moment and distribute it through in the internet like nihon (e.g.) ... is that considered piracy?

 

[ForeverRed]

Plus I believe that Shaolin Soccer (the movie in the article) is already licensed by Miramax or something.

Yes, it is already licensed by Miramax.

 

[Kyusaku]

so in that sense, Kyusaku, subbing a series is it actually considered as an act of piracy? if let's say some fansub grp in Japan sub Hibiki, for instance, at the moment and distribute it through in the internet like nihon (e.g.) ... is that considered piracy?

Just capturing the episode and distributing it over the internet is piracy. Doesn't need to be subbed. It's piracy the minute the captured raw is distributed. That's what I tried to explain with the Mahoromatic 2 and Kyou Kara Maou example.

 

[VengeanceGOD]

And I'm Proud of it!!

Damn straight brotha! *high five!*

 

[Kyusaku]

so in that sense, Kyusaku, subbing a series is it actually considered as an act of piracy? if let's say some fansub grp in Japan sub Hibiki, for instance, at the moment and distribute it through in the internet like nihon (e.g.) ... is that considered piracy?

Here is an example where a Japanese company, Media Factory, has taken legal action on people distributing their works. http://www.animesuki.com/doc.php/legal/mediafactory.html

Now this legal action was not really related to the fact that it was subtitled in english, but rather, the distrobution of copies of their productions over the internet.