Is this true or not?

[Ryoku Slayer]

I know this is bringing back the little bandai going against pirated dvds thread but I saw on this website about a person asking if hk dvds were illegal or not? And the manager of this online anime dvd store said:

You can find this piece of info HERE!

Are Hong Kong DVDs Illegal?

I'd answer this.. but it would most likely be thrown back in my face.. I'd like to point out that US Customs INSPECTS my packages DAILY.. and I get each and every one wrapped in yellow customs tape saying passed and GTG. We also quite often pay taxes on these shipments due to their value and you can't be taxed on illegal goods. So don't send me you're diatribe emails pleading that I am destroying the world.. because you're full of....

The best retort I've seen to this was a witty email to the effect of "If I shipped in drugs and they arrived that'd make them legal too! I have a lawyer that would love to hear that argument" To answer this I'll first point out that any moron that tries this and believes there are no drug sniffing dogs in customs.. you're an ideot. Second is the fact that the first numnuts in Customs that opens a box full of hash is gonna be dialing law agencies so fast it'd make your head spin. Don't waste your time writing me emails like this.. it's wracking your brain and I have tons of time to forward your ignorance to the masses. Any box that we were taxed on was opened and promptly inspected and given an "Taxation Rate per DVD" and we were billed. Legal, sorry to break it to ya.

I am just wondering if what the manager said was true or not. I mean he does have some reasoning why it is legal, but I want to hear what you guys say about this.

[SirChico]

Let me ask you something: Who's the idiot: the idiot or the idiot who can't spell idiot? (ideot)

My theory is just because it passes customs doesn't make it legal where copyright laws are concerned.

Plus, these inspectors may not know what an HK is. He may not know it is a rip of an R1. Unless they are trained for detecting bootlegs, then they can say anything's legal.

[Ryoku Slayer]

i totally agree with sir chico on this one

[r00ster]

That's some of the dumbest reasoning/justifcations I've ever heard... the reasons importers have gotten away with bringing in and selling HK bootlegs en masse is because they are so professionally done that customs officials and various lay-people aren't going to know that they're unlicensed versions of copyrighted materials.

The only way that the import of HK DVDs would ever be stopped is if the companies owning the rights to the properties pushed hard enough to get customs to crack down hard on the major HK companies' products (i.e. identifying FX materials) and stop their shipment.

Saying that selling something is clearly perfectly legal because you can get it past customs is just ridiculous.

[Vicious]

I think that FAQ was written awhile ago. Judging from his more recent posts, it seems to me that he's reversed his stance on that somewhat. But that's just my opinion based on what I've noticed.

Best thing to do would be for you to post this question on his forums and let him respond for himself.

EDIT: Of course, I don't agree with any of the statements made in that FAQ.

[Robojack]

HKs alone appear to be a more grey-market product. I'm not sure whether actual versions of such anime are available in China or Taiwan, so HKs are a perfect alternative. But here overseas, they are more on the illegal side.

[kakomu]

They are illegal.

[Amethyst]

Ok, I'm probably going to be sorry I posted this, but I think you all should be aware of this if you aren't already...

Some companies (US Manga Corps/Central Park Media in particular, occasionally others) have sent R0 / All Region labeled disks instead of R1's... I've received R0 Record of Lodoss Wars from Best Buy, among a few others, plus several R0's I've received from Right Stuf... along with the most recently Spirit Warrior & Grappler Baki R0 from Deep Discount. All those companies are legitimate R1 companies who clearly state they only sell R1's.

So I questioned Right Stuf about it... (I mean hey, it's hard to trade something as an R1 when it says ALL Region on it!) their response via email was: "we send out what the manufacturers send us, and these are better suited for all their customers needs"

So all you R1 fans might want to start checking your DVD cases...

[gubi-gubi]

They normally make region 0 because they can sell them in different countries but cant see them doing it with anime... Like the Steve-o dvds, they were R0 so they didnt have to make lots of different versions...

[Prophet Hero]

Originally posted by Amethyst
Ok, I'm probably going to be sorry I posted this, but I think you all should be aware of this if you aren't already...

Some companies (US Manga Corps/Central Park Media in particular, occasionally others) have sent R0 / All Region labeled disks instead of R1's... I've received R0 Record of Lodoss Wars from Best Buy, among a few others, plus several R0's I've received from Right Stuf... along with the most recently Spirit Warrior & Grappler Baki R0 from Deep Discount. All those companies are legitimate R1 companies who clearly state they only sell R1's.

So I questioned Right Stuf about it... (I mean hey, it's hard to trade something as an R1 when it says ALL Region on it!) their response via email was: "we send out what the manufacturers send us, and these are better suited for all their customers needs"

So all you R1 fans might want to start checking your DVD cases...

The cases say Region 0, right? You should be okay trading/selling them since 0 is an official Region.

My copy of Hard Boiled by Tartan Video (a UK company specialising in Asian cinema) is R0 and the Tartan Ring trilogy boxset I used to have contained a R0 Ring, but R2 versions of Ring 2 and Ring 0.

Of course, if these places were selling them as R1s then, I suppose, you have cause for complaint.

[BeardFan]

One of the biggest piles of BS I have ever read. Of course illegal earnings can be taxed. Remember Al Capone, who wasn't jailed because of any of his illegal activities, but for not paying the taxes on his (illegal) income. In Germany the "tax secret" goes so far, that the tax authorities aren't allowed to tip off the law enforcement, so you can declare your income from pimping and drug dealing

Regarding the legality of HKs, it differs from country to country. In Germany importing for personal use is legal (because it's not you, the importer, that broke the law, but the guys in HK). On the other hand, if you start to sell your HKs, they get illegal, because the distribution rights belong to the local licensee and he probably hasn't allowed you to distribute the title.

So at the time, when customs inspects the DVDs, they are still legal, or at least the customs can't prove that they're not for your personal use (unless you order dozens of each title). But in the moment you sell them, they are illegal.

[kakomu]

Originally posted by Amethyst
Ok, I'm probably going to be sorry I posted this, but I think you all should be aware of this if you aren't already...

Some companies (US Manga Corps/Central Park Media in particular, occasionally others) have sent R0 / All Region labeled disks instead of R1's... I've received R0 Record of Lodoss Wars from Best Buy, among a few others, plus several R0's I've received from Right Stuf... along with the most recently Spirit Warrior & Grappler Baki R0 from Deep Discount. All those companies are legitimate R1 companies who clearly state they only sell R1's.

So I questioned Right Stuf about it... (I mean hey, it's hard to trade something as an R1 when it says ALL Region on it!) their response via email was: "we send out what the manufacturers send us, and these are better suited for all their customers needs"

So all you R1 fans might want to start checking your DVD cases...

People refer to them as R1 DVDs, not because of the legality of the region in question, but where the anime is licensed.US manga corps is a company that licensed the anime for sale in America and chose to encode them using RAll. HK DVDs are illegal because they are copies of licensed DVDs and are unlicensed themself.