I have too say if Manga Updates goes down, I would be in alot of trouble with my manga reading... Why? because its the only place I can get information on what just came out and whats new. Unless somebody knows of a back up one.

Perhaps they joined forces in order to be able to target more server nations? I assume the Japanese companies want to target sites like mangahelpers that have a large amount of raws on them while not being hosted where they can easily target them.

Don't throw around absolutes like right or wrong, especially those based on "morals".

Since the dawn of Internet, which truly made culture global (and immortal), it's WRONG to deny anyone another country's culture [in 4D]. "We are the world..."

4D, as in time, i.e. I sure as hell wasn't gonna wait for my country to send the final season of Lost. (They still haven't begun.)
Internet also made spoilers global.

It's WRONG to call it stealing if "they" could, but have stopped or won't provide you with a legal way to obtain Item-X, especially since it's a "clone".

A) It's a duplicate - the quantity of Item-X does not decrease for said company.
B) Since no monetary exchange can be made, it's 100% impossible for them to lose any money because of it.

Shunning the Internet instead of embracing it? If they can't adapt to the times, they will perish, and RIGHTfully so. Survival of the Fittest.

hey, I've a question:

Why did you delete links to manwha releases, when the news clearly says "japanese publishers" and manhwa, as you know, isn't japanese at all?

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You can PM me if you need a temporary (freelance) cleaner/redrawer for some project. Especially if it's something with nice art.
Being the lazy person that I am, I'm not likely to accept anything long-term though.

a lot of English publishers like tokyopop release Manhwa. This removal avoids trouble for mangaupdates - like Manick said, they want to keep this as far away from the grey area. I'd rather have manga info than releases. I choose what to read and buy depending on the info and the ratings and the reviews i see on mangaupdates .

Why remove the links to doujinshi series as well?

Only a small few are actually published outside of special events.

I think it's easier to just remove the column.

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They aren't down, they're just having server problems.

As long as the releases site isn't deleted I'll be happy.

Rant:
If the publishers want our money, they should work on the quality of their translations, since fanmade ones are, in many cases, better (ditto for anime). Just look at the FAIL of DelRey with the first few Negima volumes.

rolling over for these jews before they even get you to TRY and stop you, nice. Manick wishes to be the little girl.

It was always MU's policy to not host links to the releases of licensed series. I'm talking about unlicensed manhwas.

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You can PM me if you need a temporary (freelance) cleaner/redrawer for some project. Especially if it's something with nice art.
Being the lazy person that I am, I'm not likely to accept anything long-term though.

seems like a double-edged sword to me.
helps boost popularity, but at the same time, exploited.

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Go mangaka.

While the removal of the download links certainly annoys me, since it makes me go to the lenghts of making more than 2 clicks, i think it was necesary.
I just hope mangaupdates gets by untouched, tho, since most of the tittles that i've found to like were found with the help of MU.
In fact i would go as far as saying that if MU were to fall my manga experience as it is now might come to an end entirely, and i would only be a casual reader that follows a couple of tittles like in the past.

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[How can i get a signature?]

Okay, I'm a little confused here. When you say removing the links, do you mean download links or the releases that are listed in the Releases section? I don't mind the removal of download links, as I never used them anyway, but I'd be a little disappointed if it was never stated that any unlicensed series was ever updated. Can someone clarify?

Only download links.