Critical Mass Video and Adult Source Media Team Up to Fight Illegal Downloads of Licensed Properties
GRIMES, IA, September 7, 2007 – Leading adult anime labels Critical Mass Video and Adult Source Media (ASM) officially announce their joint effort to combat illegal downloads of their licensed properties.
During the past several months, the two companies have been working together to identify and take legal action against Internet sites and individuals who offer unauthorized downloads and video streams of Critical Mass and ASM titles – many of them direct “rips” of the companies' Region 1 DVDs – without compensating either the respective North American licensor(s) or the Japanese creators.
“Adult Source Media has been targeting Web sites and affiliates who have been stealing our content for quite some time now,” said Wendy Crawford, Adult Source Media's president. “We have been working jointly together with Critical Mass Video to facilitate measures to both shut down these sites and pursue criminal and civil charges against those who run them.”
Crawford continued, “As entrepreneurs who both started our companies with self-financing and tremendous sweat equity, Shawne Kleckner and I have to look at things from a broad perspective. This not only hurts our sales. It jeopardizes our ability to license new titles, and in turn, affects the livelihoods of our terrific employees and their families.”
Shawne Kleckner, president of Critical Mass Video, agreed. “To add insult to injury, a number of the sites are selling the creative content they have illegally appropriated. The bottom line: When we're not being paid for our content, the Japanese companies and creative teams aren't being paid. In turn, it affects whether or not new anime even gets made… and the Japanese licensors are increasingly vocal about their concerns in this area.”
“Sadly, these site owners are forcing us to go beyond issuing ‘cease and desist’ orders. They are placing us in a position where our only option is to hire attorneys and pursue legal remedies to this situation,” said Kleckner.
“Anime fans are our biggest allies in this fight,” Kleckner continued. “When you go to a site, and see ‘free’ and fee-based downloads of anime shows, ask questions. The companies who release those same titles on DVD, like us, can tell you right away who is offering legit downloads and who isn't.”
For questions about this effort, or to report sites featuring suspect content, e-mail [email protected].
(E-mail address live on Monday, September 10, 2007.)
ABOUT CRITICAL MASS VIDEO
Critical Mass Video Ltd. is one of the top adult Japanese animation (“anime”) labels in the United States, with a catalog including well-known titles such as Cool Devices, Anyone You Can Do... I Can Do Better!, Dragon Pink and favorites from The Vanilla Series, such as Love Doll, Naughty Nurses and Sex Ward. For more information, visit www.criticalmassvideo.com.
ABOUT ADULT SOURCE MEDIA
Adult Source Media is the recognized leader in the Worldwide distribution of Japanese Adult Animation, with a catalog including the following best selling series: Maid in Heaven, Night Shift Nurses & Natural Obsessions. In addition to Japanese anime, Adult Source Media finances & produces proprietary 3D Adult Animation through our own production company. ASM is based in Chatsworth, California. For more information on ASM, visit our website: www.adultsourcemedia.com.
During the past several months, the two companies have been working together to identify and take legal action against Internet sites and individuals who offer unauthorized downloads and video streams of Critical Mass and ASM titles – many of them direct “rips” of the companies' Region 1 DVDs – without compensating either the respective North American licensor(s) or the Japanese creators.
“Adult Source Media has been targeting Web sites and affiliates who have been stealing our content for quite some time now,” said Wendy Crawford, Adult Source Media's president. “We have been working jointly together with Critical Mass Video to facilitate measures to both shut down these sites and pursue criminal and civil charges against those who run them.”
Crawford continued, “As entrepreneurs who both started our companies with self-financing and tremendous sweat equity, Shawne Kleckner and I have to look at things from a broad perspective. This not only hurts our sales. It jeopardizes our ability to license new titles, and in turn, affects the livelihoods of our terrific employees and their families.”
Shawne Kleckner, president of Critical Mass Video, agreed. “To add insult to injury, a number of the sites are selling the creative content they have illegally appropriated. The bottom line: When we're not being paid for our content, the Japanese companies and creative teams aren't being paid. In turn, it affects whether or not new anime even gets made… and the Japanese licensors are increasingly vocal about their concerns in this area.”
“Sadly, these site owners are forcing us to go beyond issuing ‘cease and desist’ orders. They are placing us in a position where our only option is to hire attorneys and pursue legal remedies to this situation,” said Kleckner.
“Anime fans are our biggest allies in this fight,” Kleckner continued. “When you go to a site, and see ‘free’ and fee-based downloads of anime shows, ask questions. The companies who release those same titles on DVD, like us, can tell you right away who is offering legit downloads and who isn't.”
For questions about this effort, or to report sites featuring suspect content, e-mail [email protected].
(E-mail address live on Monday, September 10, 2007.)
ABOUT CRITICAL MASS VIDEO
Critical Mass Video Ltd. is one of the top adult Japanese animation (“anime”) labels in the United States, with a catalog including well-known titles such as Cool Devices, Anyone You Can Do... I Can Do Better!, Dragon Pink and favorites from The Vanilla Series, such as Love Doll, Naughty Nurses and Sex Ward. For more information, visit www.criticalmassvideo.com.
ABOUT ADULT SOURCE MEDIA
Adult Source Media is the recognized leader in the Worldwide distribution of Japanese Adult Animation, with a catalog including the following best selling series: Maid in Heaven, Night Shift Nurses & Natural Obsessions. In addition to Japanese anime, Adult Source Media finances & produces proprietary 3D Adult Animation through our own production company. ASM is based in Chatsworth, California. For more information on ASM, visit our website: www.adultsourcemedia.com.
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