FUNimation Sues Bootleg Anime DVD Retailers
FUNimation is scheduled to meet California based businessman Hae Yong Ro for a conference in a Los Angeles courtroom on November 17th in association with FUNimation’s charges that Mr. Ro’s N Trading, Inc, Discount Anime DVD, BuyDVD.com, and DOES companies have willfully engaged in commerce of counterfeit anime DVDs since March 2002. FUNimation issued a cease-and-desist letter to the offending retailers in February, and filed suit in August when the four online retailers failed to respond.
FUNimation is seeking the seizure or destruction of all counterfeit DVDs and material used in the production of counterfeit DVDs, $23.7 million in damages for the sale of counterfeit DVDs infringing on FUNimation copyrights, $80,000 in legal fees, $5,005,000 plus legal fees for violation of copyrights belonging to TV Tokyo, Square Enix, and Shueisha, and an order that the violating retailers “notify all customers who purchased [an infringing] DVD” … “that said DVD is an unlawful copy, and may be returned for a full refund, including shipping.”
The defendants named in the suit have responded to the allegations with references to “fair use,” statute of limitations, and claims of good faith that the offending products were legally authorized releases.
Source: Anime News Network
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Finally there’s a company that’s stomping on these pirates that cause prices to rise for the rest of us. Now if only they would turn their attention to eBay, we’d be in business.
Last time I checked, fair use did not allow 100% usage of the source material, and copyright’s statute of limitations extends up to 70 years after the artists death.
Did their lawyers get their law degrees from Kmart?
Put the sons-of-b*tches out of business, Funimation.
Besides, if the law really did allow for that garbage, there’d be no enforceable copyright law left.
Here’s the kicker: They’re asking for at least $30M in damages. From ONE store chain of bootleggers. Funimation’s share, if extrapolated to the entire industry for last year, would be about $80M or so. Keep that in mind the next time you download Naruto Shippuden.