Southeast Asian anime distributor ODEX has posted a warning in its Facebook pages on Tuesday to moviegoers across Southeast Asia against uploading pictures and clips taken inside cinemas during the screenings of their movies.
This came to light after photos and videos circulating on social networking sites which showed pivotal scenes from their latest anime film release, One Piece Stampede.
The anime distributor also posted the same statement on their country pages for Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, as they have also traced camcording of some scenes of the latest One Piece anime film on social media accounts from these respective countries.
“It has come to our attention that someone has posted on YouTube a video clip from ONE PIECE STAMPEDE movie, we have traced the leak to be from the Philippines’s cinema,” the statement on Facebook said.
The company adds that they have made an effort to rebuild the trust of the Japanese copyright owners after the previous piracy incidents in 2017, where they warn that they can easily cut-off the Southeast Asian market to protect larger markets like the United States, Europe, South Korea, Taiwan and China.
“The actions of a few inconsiderate people who just want to show off that they are watching the movie could lead to dire consequences. Not only the perpetrator may land in jail or get fined, but the rest of us will see the end of anime movie releases in South East Asia,” the statement said.
The anime distributor is urging people to report those who violate cinema policies on taking photos and videos, as well as reporting to ODEX those accounts with photos or videos of the films.
“With your help, we will be able to continue putting up the best anime movies in our local cinemas.” The statement ended.
The Singapore-based distributor had previously warned fans from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia regarding the multiple incidents of camcording using mobile phones in 2017.
Photos and video clips of anime film releases, such as Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale, Kuroko’s Basketball: Last Game and No Game No Life: Zero, was uploaded on video-sharing services, which eventually spread through social media platforms.
In response, the distributor took extreme measures in Indonesia by either postponing or outright cancelation of anime film screenings for the first half of 2018.
