This document provides a critical look at anime fansubs in light of copyright law issues. It discusses what anime and fansubs are, the history of fansubs in helping form the anime market, the fansub production process, and legal aspects around translation rights, reproduction, distribution, and fair use defenses. While fansubs may violate copyright, the anime industry has generally taken a flexible approach by announcing licenses rather than litigation. Fansubs are argued to provide promotional benefits by building audiences, but enforcement could be stepped up in line with fansub ethics of ceasing subs once content is officially released.

1. Of otaku and fansubs
A critical look at anime online
in light of current issues
in copyright law
BILETA 2007
University of Hertfordshire
17 April 2007
JS Hatcher
jordan at opencontentlawyer dot com

2. What is anime?

7. What is a fansub?

8. fan + subtitled = fansub

9. Fan community

11. “Sailor Moon is like a
gateway drug”
- Janet Varela, referring to her daughter’s new obsession with anime

12. fans = otaku
some controversy

13. History

19. • Mid-80’s origin
• Universities
• Birth of anime
distributors
• Fansubs helped
form the market
010101010111 • Digital copies
110010101010
000111010101 • Move to completely
‘digisubs’

20. Fansub production
• Similarities to open
source
• Distributed work
• Highly skilled

21. Between dojinshi and p2p

26. v.

27. v.

28. v.

29. Legal aspects

33. Article 9
Relation to the Berne Convention
1. Members shall comply with Articles 1
through 21 of the Berne Convention (1971)
and the Appendix thereto. However,
Members shall not have rights or obligations
under this Agreement in respect of the rights
conferred under Article 6bis of that
Convention or of the rights derived
therefrom.

34. Rights in national law
Translation
• adaptations (UK)
– CDPA s. 21 (3)(a)(i).
• derivative works (US)
– 17 U.S.C. § 106 (2)
Reproduction
Distribution

35. Moral rights
• Prevent false attribution
– CDPA 1988 s 84 (UK)
• Derogatory treatment
– CDPA 1988 s 80 (UK)
• Right to identification
– CDPA 1988 s 77 (UK)

37. False attribution?
Passing off?

43. Fair use / dealing

44. Factors to consider
• Transformativeness?
• Amount and substantiality
• Effect on market
– Anime = big biz
• Translation only + Amazon.co.jp
• Fansubs better?

45. Fair Dealing
Not likely an exception
• Not criticism or review
• Doesn't fit into other areas

46. “‘Rights which cannot be realised
are worse than useless; they are
traps of delay, expense and
heartache”
Karl N. Llewellyn, Bramble Bush: On our law and its study

47. Fansubs v. licensed
Qualitative differences

54. Fansub ethics

55. Justifications
• Promotional aspects
• Fansub replacement
• Try before you buy
• Show never licensed outside of Jp
• Digisubs too much

56. Ethics cont.
• Stop once released in Japan
• Stop once announced in N.A.
– Avidly follow licensing deals
• Compliance appears high in relation to
other p2p areas

58. Anime industry approach

59. Anime v. MPAA/RIAA
• Don’t seem to use notice and take
down (DMCA)
• Announce licenses
– informal letters
• No lawsuits
• PR at cons

60. Industry benefits?

61. Potential fansub benefits
• In the beginning…
• Build non-English language fanbase
• Build audience (similar to TV)
• Identify shows to license
– yaoi, yuri, and shojo

62. Final thoughts
• Held captive?
– Negative reaction from fans
• But could step up enforcement in line
with fansub ethics

63. Thanks!
JS Hatcher
jordan at opencontentlawyer dot com
Paper available
http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/AHRB/script-ed/vol2-4/hatcher.asp

64. Credits
Kobe by Fari - CC-BY http://flickr.com/photos/colloidfarl/439513007/
Hayao Miyazaki drawing = Public Domain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Image:Hayao_miyazaki_drawing.jpg
Wikipe-tan – CC-BY-SA http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
Image:Wikipe-tan_full_length.png
Film Can – imageafter terms http://imageafter.com/image.php?
image=b1filmcan001.jpg
Bleach by Nora Sama – CC-BY-NC-SA http://flickr.com/photos/
noraphoto/370817366/
BLEACH by flaviapratti – CC-BY-NC-ND http://flickr.com/photos/
plinti/196636313/

65. "Behind the Great Wave at Kanagawa" – Public domain http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tsunami_by_hokusai_19th_century.jpg
Astro Boy 1963 © Tezuka Productions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Image:AstroBoy1963.jpg
LaserDisc by spike55151 – CC-BY-NC-SA http://flickr.com/photos/
spike55151/400302321/
Commodore Amiga 500, 16-bit computer (1987) by Bill Bertram http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Amiga500_system.jpg
VHS – freephoto1 terms of use http://www.freephoto1.com/vhs.php
huggles huggles by ~fer-nanda-ssk CC-BY-NC-ND http://
www.deviantart.com/deviation/52980701/
Revelations © Panic Struck Productions http://www.panicstruckpro.com/
revelations/
Lessig @ http://lessig.org

66. Piratey – Public Domain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Piratey.jpg
Wikipedia map of world – Public Domain http://commons.wikimedia.org/
wiki/
Image:A_large_blank_world_map_with_oceans_marked_in_blue.svg
Bleach Burichi © TV Tokyo & Studio Pierrot
Trinity Blood Toriniti Buraddo © Sunao Yoshida,
WTO logo - http://wto.orgWikipedia map of world – Public Domain
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
Image:A_large_blank_world_map_with_oceans_marked_in_blue.svg
Auguste Rodin – Public Domain http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
Image:Netsurf11_-_Rodin.jpg
Drop of Pink by code poet (REMIX by jordan) original @: http://
www.flickr.com/photos/74122471@N00/113973923/
Loveless © Yun Kouga Koga Yun)