Legal issues for manga & anime?!


Question: 1) Is it legal to read online manga and watch online anime?

2) Is it legal to download them?

Thanks in advance.


Answers: 1) Is it legal to read online manga and watch online anime?

2) Is it legal to download them?

Thanks in advance.

Technically it ISN'T legal for you to watch or read ANY anime or manga online (downloaded or streaming). Unless it is from an official distributor who has the license like http://www.theanimenetwork.com/ .

Downloading anime or watching them on places like crunchyroll are in direct violation with copyright law covered by the Berne Convention.

The only reason that you can get away with it (and why most people, like the above answerer, think it is OK to watch unlicensed stuff) is because there is no one in the states to prosecute you. There is no money interest in Geneon or ADV or whoever to tell you to take down anime if they don't have a license- so they don't. THAT DOESN'T MAKE WATCHING IT ANY LESS ILLEGAL. If you are watching unlicensed stuff however, the chances that you are going to get into trouble are less than a thousandth of one percent. So while you won't get into any trouble- but it is still illegal.

Look at it this way: It's like speeding or running a red light when no cops are around. You ARE breaking the law, but there is noone there to prosecute you.

Go to http://www.crunchyroll.com they only allow you to watch the animes that are legal. Once they are licensed they won't let you watch them.

For manga I don't know if it's legal, but you can read them at:
http://www.mangafox.com
http://www.mangahut.com
http://www.onemanga.com

Only if they aren't licensed in America.

Pretty much, no. No it isnt.


The only way to get anime or manga legally is to get it off a licensed supplier, or buy it from a store. Getting it online is okay-ish of ebay, but you're still likely to get pirated copies off there, especialy if you get it cheaply. Usualy you can tell pirates from bad quality or bad subtitling and lack of company logos, but some are well disguised.

That said, I think most companies recognise the value of piracy in making anime popular with western audiences. So they tend to ignore it, as long as it stays low-profile.



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