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Old 2003-12-19, 17:15   Link #4
OhJustSomeRandomGuy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Totally in Japan.
Just because it isn't "licensed" doesn't mean that the artist and publisher's copyrights don't apply. You have an astonishing number of ways to acquire items from overseas nowadays, J-List.com, YesAsia.com, CDJapan.com, even Ebay. (Provided you are old enough to have a credit card.)

So it is and probably always will be illegal to download music for free.

The arguements that come from the other side are that since there is a HUGE entertainment subsidy levied in Japan, (The Japan version of a US movie will cost 4500 yen, while in the US it will still be $10-$12...this is why DVDs are region coded...and why region coding is the Devil's work.) you should have a lot more leeway in downloading a track to hear samples of it.

However, since the songs are most likely IN the anime you're watching you've had more than enough opportunity to hear them (unlike, say, not being able to listen to smaller artists' work due to limited access to Japanese radio over here.) that's not really an issue either, unless there were some unheard tracks on the CD and that's all you were buying it for.

In conclusion, you should probably go buy the CD, and this is not "ok/legal" in this situation.
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