C&D letter from Hachette Book Group

[Poke2201]

It would be exceptionally funny if English/Japanese publishers are using us for market research now wouldn't it?

[rpapo]

It would be exceptionally funny if English/Japanese publishers are using us for market research now wouldn't it?

We've chatted about the subject many times now. Of particular interest is the periodic report of page hit counts. It may actually have played a part in why we were served a C&D with regards to Suzimiya Haruhi.

[Mystes]

It would be exceptionally funny if English/Japanese publishers are using us for market research now wouldn't it?

I think they are, Poke. Publishers need to look everywhere to ensure that their books will sell.

Haruhi, Bugaku Shoujo and Spice&Wolf were originally hosted here, right? And they all succeded. However, some novels, though popular at BT, have failed. Think of Zero no Tsukaima and Shankugan no Shana, just to name two.

[Teh_ping]

Partly due to the publisher and how dedicated they are in promoting the series. Haruhi, S&W and Bungaku Shoujo? Yen Press. Shana and ZnT? Viz media...

However, with .pdfs running rampant out there, I don't think anyone in the right mind will think of licensing Index or any of our current series now.(Though I heard of people in the US printing the translated versions as books and selling them for US$10, which to be honest, I'm a little more than annoyed.) There's no competition. Would you want to pay $15 and wait 6 months for one book or wait for 2 weeks and get one volume for free?

[Mystes]

Partly due to the publisher and how dedicated they are in promoting the series. Haruhi, S&W and Bungaku Shoujo? Yen Press. Shana and ZnT? Viz media...

Not to forget that Yen Press is actually a branch of Groupe Hachette, and Groupe Hachette is way more important in terms o book publishing. They know how to do things right.

However, with .pdfs running rampant out there, I don't think anyone in the right mind will think of licensing Index or any of our current series now.(Though I heard of people in the US printing the translated versions as books and selling them for US$10, which to be honest, I'm a little more than annoyed.) There's no competition. Would you want to pay $15 and wait 6 months for one book or wait for 2 weeks and get one volume for free?

Actually, licensed books could still sell, if they are popular. Haruhi has relatively good sales, because its promotion was easy to do. Many people like the published version, since it's more 'official' and contains less mistakes. However, Index didn't reach North America as Haruhi did. I know it well enough, since I'm living there. My friends know Haruhi, but not Index as much. However, I wouldn't comapare them, since on a LN list, Index is 19/20 on an elite level and Haruhi, 20/20 on a franchise level. It wouldn't be fine to compare each other.

While Yen Press hit jackpot with mainly those three titles, who are all in the top 10-20 in the 21st century(Haruhi, BS and S&W), Tokyopop was struggling with its sales and thus, had to close in NA. And viz simply licensed a novel or two, and hoped that it would magically sell.

Thus, I think that Groupe Hachette is a great company.

[Cosmic Eagle]

The Kadokawa Group, which controls the major light novel labels including Dengeki, Fujimi, Sneaker and Famitsu, practically holds almost 80% share of the entire light novel market. If they want they can easily designate the English rights to its US branch and then send us a C&D requiring all current and future titles from the above labels to be removed from this site.

This has happened before to Animesuki, which received a C&D from Media Factory delivered from Japan and has since then refrained from listing any MF work (so yea the US branch part in my previous scenario is redundant if no lawsuit is intended). The difference is that the market size of Media Factory in the anime sector is totally incomparable with the influence of Kadokawa in the light novel sector, explaining why AS managed to come out almost unscratched. In contrast Kadokawa is the copyright mammoth in the light novel industry.

More fun would ensure if MF cooperated with Kadokawa and sent us a C&D to ban both Kadokawa and MF light novel titles. By that time B-T would have nothing left except these forums.

On one hand, their chance of them bringing the whole thing to the court is low. On the other hand, their cost of sending us a C&D is also far from high. It has been the practice of B-T to be complying to legal requests and I don't see how it would change in the future. In that sense, they can easily put an end to our activities at a whim. We are literally at their mercy.

FTAs and other trade agreements would also allow them to enforce legalities outside Japan....so even if you move the server to Asia or Europe....

[Poke2201]

I thought ZnT was Seven Seas, who is STILL sitting on their license.

[Darklor]

FTAs and other trade agreements would also allow them to enforce legalities outside Japan....so even if you move the server to Asia or Europe....

I think it would have to be more Asia than Europe with the EU are not many European states left where that would be possible maybe RU...

[Mystes]

Hum, Darklor? Did I write this?

[Cosmic Eagle]

FTAs and other trade agreements would also allow them to enforce legalities outside Japan....so even if you move the server to Asia or Europe....

I think it would have to be more Asia than Europe...

Yes...definitely more here....Japan being our major trade partner and all....

[Darklor]

Hum, Darklor? Did I write this?

Hm, obviously not really but that was what I got clicking quote dunno why...

Yes...definitely more here....Japan being our major trade partner and all....

Ones that hasnt signed the copyright agreement