PUBLIC protests in Singapore are rare, but this particular one held last month was rarer still: A hodgepodge of toy robots, superheroes and aliens, together with a handful of anime fans assembled at the Youth Park, to protest against anime distributor Odex.
The police turned up, with four anti-riot vans, but nobody was arrested, although names and videos of the protest were taken.
In a way, the event is a microcosm of the state of civil society in Singapore, according to Dr Gillian Koh, senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies.
Source : Todayonline
Amid furore, Odex changes tack
EMBATTLED anime distributor Odex — facing scores of Netizens in a cyber piracy spat — has changed tack to discourage people from downloading the Japanese cartoon videos.
The company said yesterday that it would send warning letters through Internet service providers (ISP) SingNet, Pacific Internet (PacNet) and StarHub to stop people from downloading and sharing the videos.
Odex’s director Stephen Sing said he hoped the ISPs would agree to work with his company in passing on the notices to users who rip content.
“They don’t have any statutory obligations to do so, but we hope they could help,” he said.
The company has approached StarHub and would soon meet officials from the other two ISPs, he said.
Source : Todayonline
Odex to get ISPs to issue online warnings
DISTRIBUTOR of Japanese animated movies, or anime, has adopted a new tactic in its battle to stop illegal downloads here.
The firm, Odex, will ask Internet service providers (ISPs) to forward warnings to subscribers it suspects of this activity, asking them to ‘cease and desist’.
Many in the online anime community here say Odex should have done this in the first place instead of a legal crackdown that sparked off an online hate campaign.
Since May, the firm has tried to get details of alleged infringers from ISPs here in order to send them letters demanding settlement sums of $3,000 to $5,000.
Spokesmen for the three ISPs said they have not yet been formally contacted by Odex and declined to disclose what they will do until they have more details.
Odex director Stephen Sing said the firm will not ask ISPs to disclose the identities of subscribers, but to forward an electronic notice from Odex to the alleged infringer.
Source : Paid STonline
