Oh dear, Odex

Been wanting to blog about this entire Odex saga for a while now. It started out as just another run-of-the-mill copyright case. But as things look now, things have gotten from bad to worse for ODEX. It has been a PR nightmare to say the least.

Let's re-cap from the beginning...(with help from the ever helpful Wikipedia,news and blogsites)...

Anime fans complained about the poor quality of the releases.

Odex has run into plenty of criticism over the past few years. Many fans have criticised the sub-standard quality of the anime, claiming that they were pixelated and low in resolution, hence believing that Odex was profiteering by riding on the success of the anime fanbase in Singapore. Odex refuted this claim by stating that quality issues were due to the limitations of the VCD medium, and that their DVD releases have similar quality as other DVD Region Code releases. Members of online anime discussion forums, however, states that the video quality is worse than what Odex claims

And then there was the issue of inferior and wrongly translated subtitles...

Odex's subtitle translations often come under fire. Allegations are that the english subtitles are translated off inaccurate Chinese subtitles in releases from Hong Kong, resulting in inaccurate translations."They get a Chinese translation script from Taiwan or Hong Kong, and have their people translate from that into English, introducing a large number of translation errors in the process."

Then there was even talk of their releases being pirated copies themselves,and even copies of fansubs(subtitled by fans)!!

There was a furore about ODEX pursuing and threatening anime fans, as young as 9 years of age, with threats of being charged in court unless they paid up 3 to 5k in 'settlement'. Understandably even non-anime fans were up in arms about the high-handedness of it all. To be sure anime fans (or Otaku's as they like to call themselves) are a close knit group. So in effect, at this point of the saga Odex was seen to be alienating the very people who make up their clientele. If anime fans are not buying your vcd's, then who will?

In time, the local internet community caught on to what was going between ODEX and the 'young criminal minds'. The local internet community, although not as close knit as the anime fanatics, proved to be the beginning of the end of ODEX. At forums and chat rooms across our little red dot ODEX found themselves the topic of the week. Then it surfaced that Stephen Sing was bragging in online forums about how ODEX was taking all these young fans to the cleaners...

Another issue that came to light was that Stephen Sing, under his alias of xysing, bragged about sueing anime downloaders. This was admitted by him, but he rejected its relevance, claiming it was taken out of context and was posted 2 months ago, before the controversy reached the news. His claim was easily revealed to be false, as the date of the post showed it was less than a month old.

It was then then this whole story hit the ceiling and hit the pages of the mainstream media. Stephen Sing had egg all over his face denying the charges brought before him despite the facts and came across as an arrogant twit.

wanted dead or alive. most prefer the latter it seems

Then there was the issue of how ODEX got the information on the anime fans who were responsible for the illegal downloads...
As it turned out two of the major ISPs, SingNet and Starhub had divulged the information. The only ISP who stood firm and contested having to divulge subscriber information was Pacific Internet. That 'ODEX vs PacNet' went to court and PacNet got a ruling in their favour raised a few questions. Firstly, how the other 2 ISPs so readily divulged subscriber information without even a whimper. So much for privacy and consumer confidentiality in violation of a duty of confidentiality under the Telecommunications Competition Code. Then, Judge Earnest Lau dismissed ODEX's application on the grounds that ODEX was not the copyright owner to the anime titles in dispute.

Odex had "no right of civil action" against illegal downloaders because it was just a sub-licensee — not the copyright owner or exclusive licensee — for most of the anime titles sold here

By association, SingNet and to a lesser extent Starhub, found themselves in the middle of a PR nightmare. Starhub has contested but relented in the end, unlike SingNet which did not even contest or have representatives in court. Both these ISPs have a lot to answer for. The facts brought to bear in court in the Pacnet court hearing were no different from what could have been expected had Singtel or Starhub decided to seek recourse and put their foot down.

But neither did.

A sad case of affairs and a public relations boo-boo to say the least. How could SingNet and Starhub cave in so easily to legal pressure and in the process betray the trust their substantial subscribership had placed in them? two words:damage control.

Of course, as in all epic battles, there were yet to be more twists and turns in the saga. ODEX said they were gonna appeal the court ruling and came back this time with the support of actual japanese copyright owners. They even held a media conference to state their case and do a little PR after the siege.

take a look at the sheer number of papers there are on that table containing the details of ISP subscribers

What of the 3k to 5k settlement? Isn't it rather excessive? Especially considering many of the offenders are kids still in school. Considering that there were approx. three thousand users named (3000 x $4000(between $3000 to $5000 mah)= $12,000,000!!!

ODEX's response:

"This exercise was never meant to be just an enforcement. It's not a profiteering mission to get as much money from everybody. It was conceptualized with a very big picture (in mind).

"Illegal downloaders can download animes for all they want... five years, ten years, there will be nothing left to download. This is the fear that most strikes us. We want to address that situation," - Stephen Sing

They even stated in interviews that the amount recouped 'barely covers the legal cost of pursuing'. They must sure be over paying their legal team, who seem to be unable to plug the leaks in all their court cases until this point. A watertight case it has not been thus far.

a face only a mother could love.The ODEX poster boy....

Another interesting fact that turned up was how Odex director Peter Go himself was at the centre of a copyright infringement crackdown during 1999:

A ONE-TIME firm started by the men behind Odex, the company at the centre of a crackdown on illegal downloading of anime, was itself raided by police for copyright infringement. The firm - Games Mart - was set up by Odex director Peter Go in 1994 to sell video game consoles, games and accessories. An Odex spokeman said it was raided in 1999 by the police for peddling counterfeit game controllers and other accessories. The spokesman said that Games Mart was shut down in 2004.

The proverbial pot calling the kettle black.

To rebutt accusations regarding their purported 'inferior subtitles', ODEX had this to say:

Odex blames the censorship laws in Singapore for inaccurate subbing. Odex says that they had to tweak subtitles in some of its anime to conform to the Board of Film Censors' (BFC) requirements.

right... as everyone knows Singapore has the most outdated and draconian censorship laws in human history...

But the BFC replied just today:

"The BFC has never asked for subtitles to be tweaked. We require that subtitles accurately reflect the content of a film or video so that we can classify the content accurately. Inaccurate subtitles also do no service to the community or to the young who may be misled into thinking that an anime is suitable for them when it could be meant for a higher age group."- Senior Asst. Director of Board of Film Censors

Hmm.. someone seems to be lying here....

So until someone eats some humble pie, this ODEX saga is far from over. Even with the law purportedly on their side, ODEX's reputation has suffered irreparable damage and public ridicule. Its a long road back for the embattled anime distributor.

I do not think I have even covered all the bases yet on this story. There are others more apt to discuss the legal implications and complexities pertaining to this case. And then there are those in the local anime community who can give first-hand accounts of what is really going on in the minds of the ones being affected by all these criminal settlements.

Meanwhile, despite Singapore's tough laws on public demonstrations and unlawful assembly's, this unruly mob was seen making their feeling's known at Youth Park outside Cineleisure...
They are perfectly harmless, honest...


some stood out a little more than others


We're disorganised, but we are cool!


...bringing up the rear.


even the well-endowed lent their..umm...voices.. to the cause.

Tune in for more...

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Gonna scout around for more quotes for house renovations. Naturally more excited about the furniture than the actual house. Also gonna have to to lookout for fans and light fixtures so for when the contractors come in to do their work. IKEA anyone.

With Agnes so tied up with school and stuff, and Noel and Ant being around, seems like by default I have more time on weekends. No idea what we loafers can do. The zoo is always an option. There has also been talk of going Mustaffa's at ungodly hours, a JB shopping/makan trip, chocolate fondue..

In the meantime the two of them been making themselves useful round about the house, cooking and making stuff. Their latest project is the Attap Hut. You can find pictures and totally unbiased reviews of their handiwork on their respective blogs. But really, it was a job well done by them. No idea why no one thought of doing something like that sooner. I thought of being a part of their project, but thought better of it. I like doing such things. You know how it is when you are working on a DIY project and some smart ass comes along and takes over the entire project. A rather common occurence in the Boyd household. Like a somewhat wise man (a chef probably) said, 'Too many cooks spoil the broth'.Or something like that.

Noel mentioned something about me having a tattoo done. A picture of Christ even. So not true. There was a time when I was contemplating a barbed wire sort tattoo around my arm that that was about it. Those were ideas from a simpler time, when I had long hair, wore black, earrings and angst.

Dun think my dad would be up for it also seeing his health and all.

Anyway a tattoo is not applicable at this juncture of my life. People change. And I did too. Agnes strongly disapproves of tattoos. And even if she did approve I would not be agreeable anyway. As many have stated tattoo's are PERMANENT. Life can sometimes be so unpredictable. we all heard of poor morons that have had bad tattoo's done and they are stuck with it. bad spelling, mis-translated words, dis-proportionated images etc. also people change and get older. a tattoo may look great now, but who knows what it will look like 20 to 30 years from now? In short, tattoos are not a thing for me. And probably never will be again.

Ant...

I know I promised to write about her. But since that day lots of new developments have...umm...developed. Some things should be discussed in private and are not suitable for the public domain if you know what I mean. Just so my readers know I am leaving gaps in what I write here and there to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent.

Dun quite remember where and when I find met Ant. it may have been at Bar None when I went there with Agnes one time. Or maybe it was when she came over to our house. Anyway the first impression of her was,"how old is she?". She does look awfully young. Probably a result of good genes. Dilligent care. Or perhaps she is really as young as she looks! Anyway her profile lists her as 27. But that very same profile also says she hails from Dubai, UAE. So read into that what you will. But to me she does look to be in her lower twenties. Which is a backhanded compliment in a way.

Also from reading her blog(s) you can tell she is smart and articulate. And has a mind of her own to boot. Intellect and heart is a heady combination. And seems our little missus has both, which scores in my book. Had enough of bimbos and mean-spirited bitches.

Stars. Seems she loves stars. Muchly almost. Little wonder she always seems a bit over-dressed at home. Wonder how many star tattoos she has that I have yet to see.
Has loads of pics on her Multiply,Friendster, MySpace and Facebook.Not to mention her blogs. A media whore thats for sure. But unlike most of that ilk, she actually does actually look good in most of the pics.

Somethings have already been said about how the Boyd family has accepted her with open arms and she is now a part of our family. From what I know my mum (and she is the one you have to please around these parts) has described Ant as "Ok" and "very helpful". But much has been made about how she came to stay with us in the first place. The folks have not really been told the circumstances why Ant has "no home" and maybe Ant (and Noel)should tell her side of the story as long as we are all staying under the same roof. Mum (and dad) asked me how I felt about when Paula cane to stay before and I was ok with it then. As I am with Ant staying with us now. But really, before going ahead with letting people stay in the house, Noel should have at least have asked permission first. That he did not do so again this time has left a bad taste in the mouth. Mum seemed disappointed that Noel did not show respect to them by at least asking. Mind you this is no fault of Ant herself, but rather a sad reflection of Noel.

So Noel and Ant need to explain how she came about to be staying with us and get their blessings/permission. It may be a bit late to do so. But better late than never. At least I can stop Mum sending me smses regarding this matter.

Enough of the negative stuff. Back to the fun part...

Noel has had his fair share of bad relationships in the past. So it is always good to see him happy and contented. But don't all relationships start that way? Everything is hunky-dory at the start. Everyone is happy. But every relationship will reach a point when both parties have to step back and evaluate the relationship and ask,'Is this really what I want?'. So until then let the good times roll.

For sure Ant is a good fit in the family. She has that indefinable quality that people try in vain to define known as Emotional Quotient. She seems to know when and what to do and what to say. As so far, I have yet to hear anything negative to say about her except the 2 points I spoke of earlier. But neither of them have anything to do with her personally but rather an oversight on Noel's part.

Cookies!!! Om nom nom nom...
She seems to have a special affinity to the hungry blue monster of Sesame Street fame. The anti-hero of healthy eating and table side manners. Trying to deduce anything from this seemingly insignificant fact I came up somewhat short.
Cookie has eyes that move around in their sockets giving him a deranged, looney look at times. Hmm...
Cookie also eats almost anything and everything. But above all he craves the Big C...not that..... COOKIES!! Like many of us CM has many things that makes his day but that is that one thing above all else that makes him what and who he is.
..and CM is blue.Blue amongst other things relates to authority, off colour or adult-themes, will-power, spirituality, divinity, truth, equilibrium, the heavens, trancendence ...
Now before I go off on a tangent...

Btw... the two of them make mighty fine cookies! But I only got to taste one pathetic cookie. Don't talk to them for eternity just for the sake of being petty. Hah!

And the folks are buying Ant 2 goldfish for the pond! Unfair. Nobody ever buys me fish.


After getting that out of my system, it is back to Ant. She gets along famously with the cats. Just about anyone gets along with Monk. But UJ and Nico are a slightly different breed of pussy. UJ is an eating machine. A strange cat to say the least. But somehow Ant has formed some sort of relationship with the Fat Black One. Nico is the most introverted and reticient of the 3 bros (Monk, Poison and Nico himself). In a way the 3 cats parallel the 3 Boyd brothers but that is another post for another day. But Nico does not mind being carried by Ant which is kind of cool in its own way. I find a love of animals important in anyone. I detest people who are cruel or even indifferent to the plight of animals. I do not see how people can be so far removed from even caring about God's creation. So in short Ant scores points in this category too.

At the rate this is going, I may have to denote points and scores as I rate Ant. lol

Cooking category: Not very sure how to evaluate her here. Because most of the cooking is a joint effort between her and Noel. So it is hard at this point to really say how good (or bad) she really is. But thus far the food I have had the privilege of eating has been good to very good.

housework category: Err.... n/a.

Ok...ok...stop here. Dunno what else to write without grasping for straws.

Summary: Ant is a nice girl and hope she makes a decent man out of Noel yet. Thus far she has made an effort to get along with everyone and not rock the boat too much. Do not know enough about her to make an accurate assessment of her flaws and strengths, but she seems a keeper thus far. Only time will tell how much I written here holds true.

disclaimer: blog author lives in a well. His views should never be take at face value.

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Got a quotation from Gay World. They quoted us $18k. But that included some stuff we did not ask for or needed in the first place. Also met up Mona on Thursday. She came down to take a look at the house and listened to what we wanted and made some recommendations that made sense. She will give us a quote in about a weeks time.

....had stated in a previous post stuff I was gonna write about.

upcoming: Movie reviews for The Simpson's Movie and Hostel 2, our new house on Monday, my fitness regimen, Sunny, blog features, our 2 months married, 30 months as a couple, sleep and the lack thereof, my lappy problems, Ant, being alone, rabbit sex, Bumblebee, buffets, durians....

I think I will forgo the movie reviews as it has been over a week since and that's an eternity almost to do a movie review. But will discuss later about movies I wanna catch.
Fitness regimen? After a bright start, I have succumbed to apathy and have stopped doing any running or exercise. I guess it is hard to keep up any sort of activities alone. I lack the discipline nor the focus to do anything without setting down a goal or markers along the way.
Sunny: not sure what I meant when I put this in. Maybe I meant to say how much a part of my life he (notice the 'he' and not 'it' used)has become. As with many things in my life, the things that mean the most to me become personified. And my trusty Nissan Sunny and me have been through loads of shared experiences. He was with me at some of the lowest points of my life and is still here with me as I start a new family with my dear wife Agnes.
Blog Features? apa dah?? Another thing I have no idea about. Beginning to think I was high on something when I wrote that post.
2 months married/30 months as a couple: besides the house-related stuff not much has changed for us. We still do the same stuff and still live in our own respective homes. Agnes's school work does take a toll on our time together. She is stressed out enough with her work without having to worry about having to keep me company as well. Saturdays used to be our time together, but now we do not even meet up on Saturdays even. I know things will be more normal when the house is ready and when she graduates next year.
Sleep: anyone who knows me well enough would know I am a light sleeper. Insomniac at times even. The things I eat or drink can give me sleepless nights. Even worries and concerns about stuff at work and in my personal life can leave me tossing and turning. But lately I seem to doze off a lot more easily. My usual bedtime is round about 12, but lately I have been known to hit the sack as early as 9. Although old ways die hard, at least now I do get enough sleep on some nights as opposed to hardly any previously. You know, sometimes I wonder how my life would have been if I had grown up having a regular sleep cycle. I probably would have done better at school than i did. But all that is mere speculation at this juncture.
my lappy problems: due to the large number of files and programs on my lappy, it seems that my laptop lags a bit and seems to take like forever to get up and running. Not sure what the problem is actually. I do regular scans and maintenance but there is little or no performance improvements. Maybe I shall consign many of the picture files to an external hard drive and delete unrequired programs and files and take things from there.
Being alone: of all my insecurities, this one takes the cake. I am the sort of person who needs company in almost anything I do. My partner in life is Agnes, so having her around always makes my day. And the time we are apart is almost an eternity. She always is helpful to remind me that when we are finally living together, that I will see her until sian. That I will get sick of seeing her face everyday. But I do not think that is the reality in my case. I have a need to be around people whom I care about and care about me. I need to be around people who share my own ideals and aspirations. And to be in the company of like-minded people. To a lesser extent, I would travel far and wide just to have lunch with someone than to eat alone at someplace convenient.
Rabbit Sex: Muffy and Scruffy are back together in one cage and I could not be happier. Like me rabbits are social creatures and do best in the company of their own kind. Seems like Muffy's op did him more good than harm. He is alot more agreeable now. Gone are the obstinacy's of a teenage rabbit. Scruffy is due to go soon as well. More for health reason than anything else.
Bumblebee: besides Optimus Prime, Bumblebee is my favourite character in the recent Transformers movie. Every time I see a Bumblebee toy in stores I have to keep my hand from paying out at the cashier. Anyway Toys r Us has this new fangled Bumblebee toy that is coming out that probably cost a truckload of cash.
buffets: huh? *scratch head*
durians: butter durians rock!! need some.want some. Promised my office staff they will also get a taste of it soon.

Somehow I think I have missed out on something... hmm....

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Bloggers battered by viral storm

Google's Blogger site is being used by malicious hackers who are posting fake entries to some blogs.

The fake entries contain weblinks that lead to booby-trapped downloads that could infect a Windows PC.

Infected computers are being hijacked by the gang behind the attacks and either mined for saleable data or used for other attacks.

The Blogger attack is the latest in a series by a gang that has managed to hijack hundreds of thousands of PCs.

read the link above...
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