Manga Publishers Struggling With Overseas Pirates

[Mulboyne]

[floatr][/floatr]Yomiuri: Web comics no laughing matter / Shoddily scanned, translated manga causing headache for publishers
"Scanlation"--or the unauthorized translation and distribution of comics online--is proving a headache for domestic publishing houses. Foreign enthusiasts of Japanese manga are increasingly scanning copies of the comics onto free fan Web sites, often with poor images and translations of dubious accuracy. While such scanlations are in effect online pirated versions of the works, the Internet is a highly anonymous world without borders. This makes it difficult for the publishers to keep such manga highwaymen off the information superhighway. An English-language Web site reportedly popular among foreign manga fans contains hundreds of such scanlations, ranging from mainstream Shonen Jump works such as "One Piece," "Naruto," and "Bleach" to works with a more cult-based following. With a mere click, visitors can read an entire series from the beginning to the latest release. Particularly surprising is the fact that the site features works from magazines that have just been published...more...

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[Mulboyne]

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The word "scanlation" is a combination coined from of the words "scan" and "translation." Sites frequented by foreign manga fans that independently translate works and put them online have been around for a while, but in the past two years, people other than hardcore fanatics have been accessing such sites. The speed at which translations are posted reportedly has also increased. One positive aspect of such scanlations is that it has boosted the number of foreign manga enthusiasts, but publishers of manga offer a note of caution. "The image quality of works scanned from magazines is poor and some of the translations are fly-by-night," said Takuya Yui of Shogakukan Inc.'s copyright office.

Fans, often hailing from different countries, are believed to make the data available on Web sites using file-sharing software or via online storage. The fans share out such tasks as scanning and translation. An increasing number of scanlations are being posted onto video sharing sites, on which pages turn themselves over. "Site administrators are only committing a crime of conscience, and at first they don't respond [to requests] to delete [such files], so on discovery of uploads of illegal files we demand the service provider delete them," said Kazunori Oshihoi, head of the intellectual property section at Shueisha Inc. "But we fall behind as there are too many [files being posted]." For such reasons as not knowing in which country the posters are located and the fact that different countries have different laws and regulations, it is difficult in many cases for publishers to demand the deletion of files. "International legal provisions, including those in Japan, are slow in taking shape," Oshihoi added.

Shueisha and five other manga publishers, with help from the Association of Copyright for Computer Software (ACCS), sent e-mails to English-language sites and providers based in the United States. The publishers demanded--based on U.S. copyright law--that such files be deleted. However, they only succeeded in preventing the viewing of such sites in Japan and were unable to have the files in question deleted from the sites. Criminal proceedings over illegal domestic sites have led to the detainment of some people, but the ACCS warns against similar action overseas. "Costs would mount up if we were to raise a lawsuit overseas," an ACCS official said. "It's not a realistic option."

Faced with this situation, publishers are looking for ways to counter these freebooters by making use of their official Web sites. Since April, Shogakukan has been putting a series from its Shukan Shonen Sunday weekly--Rumiko Takahashi's "Kyokai no Rinne" (Rinne)--simultaneously online for free in North America. Shueisha has followed suit. In June, the company made an entire new series available for free viewing on the English-language Web site for its Shukan Shonen Jump weekly. While the companies' primary objective is promotion, they also have another reason to post their works online. "We want people to read the proper version rather than viewing a shoddy scanlation," a Shueisha spokesman said.

Another reason why manga publishers are attempting to tackle the threat of scanlations is a perceived need to stave off the spread of illegal free manga. Shueisha, for example, wishes to do so as it has been making great efforts to expand overseas, including the launch this year of a paid service in France that allows users to receive the firm's works on cell phones. "As a publisher, we have an obligation to notify our readers of our top-grade works," said Takashi Watanabe, head of Shueisha's copyright office. "We hope to examine and make preparations for putting the original versions online."

[Kanchou]

The image quality and translations are generally a lot better than they're trying to imply... manga that has been scanned and enlarged is easier to read than printed manga (because the collected volumes are compressed versions of the original versions published in manga magazines), and the translations are generally very accurate...although it depends on the individual doing the translation. Some are better than others.

If these publishers made their money the same way that anime/manga companies do in Japan, which is by selling manga magazines, ad revenue from broadcasts, and selling merchandise, they wouldn't be having this problem.

They shouldn't be thinking about lack of manga sales, but increased sales of related goods (toys, model kits, video games, etc). That's where the real money is anyway.