ZOMG Safety???

**hot_sauce** · 08-11-2008, 11:35 PM

Hello!

I have been hooked on anime for over 4 years now & have always downloaded "my fix" via bit-torrent. Today I got hit with a DMCA copyright infringement notice from my ISP (filed by BayTSP & Aniplex) for downloading the most recent episode of Sekirei from Chihiro.

Needless to say, this is greatly soured me on using P2P networks to download anime in the future.

So, here I am...looking for another way to get my fix.

My question is, from an "ISP service interruption" perspective, how safe is it for an end-user to view streaming anime on this website?

Please advise. Thanks!

Signed, Prospective ZOMG Viewer

**Gojyo** · 08-11-2008, 11:42 PM

I would say its pretty safe to view anime on ZOMG. If copyright holders want to complain to someone they are going to complain to the site which hosts the anime most likely. All of the videos we have are not hosted on our site, but are embedded. So that kind of takes us out of the heat for the most part. Also it would not be profitable to sue the end user over copyright violations when the copyright holder could sue the site which hosts the infringing material and gain much more money. Though in most cases I would assume they ask the site to remove the works in question before filing a lawsuit.

**Sonic** · 08-11-2008, 11:42 PM

There's a program called Peer Guardian 2 that blocks IPs from accessing your computer. Some of these IPs can, if you happen to feel like blocking them, be RIAA IPs.

Sonic does not condone illegal activities on the intrawebz in an sort of way.
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To answer your question, it's completely legal. Only the server could be charged with illegal activities, but not the viewers.

**hot_sauce** · 08-12-2008, 12:13 AM

Thanks for the responses. That was what I figured. However, as I also use my home internet connection for work, I must be cautious. Looks like I've found a new anime home, then. YOROSHIKU!!!

**Harry MacDougall** · 08-12-2008, 12:25 AM

glad youre here

**hoboX10** · 08-12-2008, 12:40 AM

Don't worry. If anything happened and lawsuits were filed, it would go to the site creator. But fortunetely it will likely never happen. Well I hope not.

**TakKi** · 08-12-2008, 03:22 AM

↑ It won't. As Gojyo said, we only have the media embedded. If they wanted to yell at people because of the material, they would go to the sites we stream from; veoh, MV, etc.

**AnimeJunky** · 08-12-2008, 03:26 AM

I hope nothin ever happens to ZOMG. This site is my life. LOL

**Furanshisu917** · 08-12-2008, 03:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hot_sauce

Hello!
for downloading the most recent episode of Sekirei from Chihiro.

I have a question, arent fan subs completely legal untill the anime is licensed ??

**l0rdtague** · 08-12-2008, 03:35 AM

no i think there illegal either way, but i could be wrong

**Gojyo** · 08-12-2008, 03:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Furanshisu917

I have a question, arent fan subs completely legal untill the anime is licensed ??

I could be mistaken, but if I remember correctly from an article I read in the past concerning Japanese copyright laws, it is legal to download as long as you don't distribute. Though I think they are trying to change that law.

**Halfheart** · 08-12-2008, 04:16 AM

I was fairly sure it wasn't illegal in the U.S. to d/l fansubs unless the anime is licensed. However, it appears from your experience that this is not always true.
.

**hot_sauce** · 08-12-2008, 04:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halfheart

I was fairly sure it wasn't illegal in the U.S. to d/l fansubs unless the anime is licensed. However, it appears from your experience that this is not always true.
.

Well, I'm not an attorney so I can't say for sure. However, Aniplex's parent company is none other than Sony (surprise surprise!). Perhaps that gives them some sort of DMCA authority over activity in the US. However, I do think the DMCA also covers foreign copyrights, as well.

**Halfheart** · 08-12-2008, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hot_sauce

Well, I'm not an attorney so I can't say for sure. However, Aniplex's parent company is none other than Sony (surprise surprise!). Perhaps that gives them some sort of DMCA authority over activity in the US. However, I do think the DMCA also covers foreign copyrights, as well.

That may be true, I remember reading somewhere that Japanese distributors can take legal action against people who download fansubbed anime in the U.S., but it was just incredibly rare for them to do so. I'm probably wrong on that though, I can't even remember where I read that.

**hot_sauce** · 08-12-2008, 06:33 AM

You're right that it's rare for them to go after us small fish directly. However, this is where the dipsticks at BayTSP come into play. From what I read, the guy who runs that company operates web crawlers that capture IP addresses from torrent swarms. He then sends cease & desist letters to the ISP's, all on behalf of his clients...in this case, Aniplex. His 3rd party company is doing the dirty work which the big companies (like Aniplex) don't have time to bother with.