Hi guys i new here and i was wondering if it is considered illegal to download manga that has not yet been liscensed by english translating companys (eg. tokyopop etc...). If it is, what are the chances of getting caught?

I'm not sure about the legal part, but the chances of getting caught?
Close to zero (DL 'til you dropp).

The only way you will get caught really is places that monitor you, like China, or Government Facilities... you gladly tell authorities you been DL happy.

Anyways, any form of obtaining something that has been COPYRIGHT, or obtained illegally (meaning getting free stuff when your suppose to pay)

Is illegal, but who doesn't? I bet Bill Gates downloads his own illegal music... I BET HE DOES!!!

Everybody follows pretty much the same copyright laws so it is illegal everywhere, it is just that Japan doesn't prosecute anyone distributing outside their native language. Well, at least that's my experience, I'd be very interested if anyone has heard otherwise.

Anyone?

[img]http://myanimelist.net/createimage/SirGir.png[/img]

Well, I doubt that anyone could get caught.
Law is afterall hunting mainly music, movie and gaming pirates.

this video will explain all!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3445403251691329577&q=Weird+Al+Yankovic&total=5582&start=30&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=1

[color=green]Life, what would it be without so much wrongs and rights?
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[color=red]Star Trek XI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZiR-NETDr0[/color]

So chances are i wont get caught if i dl manga unliscensed by American translating companies?

Prolly not if you aren't wearing t-shirt telling what you are doing.

Quote from chickenball

So chances are i wont get caught if i dl manga unlicensed by American translating companies?

Chances are you are tagged with a checker but since it is too petty to prosecute, they are just watching you.

[color=green]Life, what would it be without so much wrongs and rights?
[/color]

[color=red]Star Trek XI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZiR-NETDr0[/color]

I like the news stories where the cops run in and arrest a 50 year old lady that doesn't even know what a modem is because the little poop-butt 7 year old next door came over and "helped" with her new computer and downloaded limewire or something. Its great that the Feds come in and fine her like $50,000 for dling 7 songs she didn't evevn know she had on her computer. I think the best way to DL and not get caught is to DL whatever you want and then SHUT THE HELL UP ABOUT IT.

But that's just my opinion.

Life is tough......but it's tougher if you're stupid.
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Quote from vinceasuma

I like the news stories where the cops run in and arrest a 50 year old lady that doesn't even know what a modem is because the little poop-butt 7 year old next door came over and "helped" with her new computer and downloaded limewire or something. Its great that the Feds come in and fine her like $50,000 for dling 7 songs she didn't evevn know she had on her computer. I think the best way to DL and not get caught is to DL whatever you want and then SHUT THE HELL UP ABOUT IT.

But that's just my opinion.

Let's stick to the topic, he's asking about manga, unlicensed manga. Japan is not going to sent secret police to arrest you....

but....they may set up for example a program called protein folding and is actually a spyware...hmmmmm 😃

[color=green]Life, what would it be without so much wrongs and rights?
[/color]

[color=red]Star Trek XI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZiR-NETDr0[/color]

OK sorry. I thought the question was about the likely hood of getting in trouble for DLing things from the internuts. Maybe I misunderstood cuz I read it right after waking up and havent had any coffee. Even the weird Al song says they prosecute Grannies and 7 yr old girls. I know it's a joke but it's a little true and that makes it funny.

Sorry everybody! Didn't mean to be a wet blanket first thing in the morning!

Life is tough......but it's tougher if you're stupid.
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I'm sure the feds have drug lords to catch and sadams to kill, so why would they want anything to do with a person like you. Why would they even care, where at most you gonna dl 100 dollars worth of stuff in your life time, while the drug people earn that much a minute.

so no worries. If you are arrested or fined, it must be because you were trying to watch bush's daughter bathing and not because of manga.

Starter of Controversy.

c*ck on boys and girls and whatever you think you are, bad is bad. One person I know was done when he showed a friend who brother was a cop and put him in. I have been done for extra on a green bust (Little brothers should throw the smoky thing out 😁 in the morning before work) when the cops looked in the internet cashe.

Poeple the thing is some nice poeple go so far as to put the 100% illegal stamp on some manga they've scanned saying' everyone does it.

Just like the Mp3's and the such, limted use of things goes only so far. Even if some Manga authores may even say thank you 'Ken' is so cool.

If you are un sure of any of the stuff you have down loaded things to are
A) keep it off the hard drives
B) keep them clean and backed out
C) on disks have any real sus stuff in hidden and or encrypted files (I am not kidding. (See the copyright law pros end, one mark can make it hard)
D) and the most useful one don't do when 😕 .

Now if you realy do take note the first are the need. >:-(

love and peace

If you look it up, scanlation is in the gray region of the law, so long as the manga has not been licensed in the country your in, or if companies have not sent Cease and Desist orders, it's alright, most companies just turn a blank eye to scanlation groups, unless they're distributing one of their licensed mangas.