Pat Payne

But, on the other hand, IF HG actually believed that they owned the Macross license, why would they stand still for this? Unless...something happened to get their patron, Tatsunoko, to back off and ger HG into an agreement... Maybe there was a settlement of the BW/Tat case?

It's also a function of "what the market will bear." They can sell a DVD in Japan for $80 because there are people willing to pay that much in numbers enough to make it profitable. Here, the Bros. Warner wouldn't dare charge that price for a single DVD even in their wildest wet dreams.

Very funny... It stands for "United Nations," as in the world body in existence today, set up in 1945 originally from the Allied nations of WW2 and expanded ever since. After the Unification war, the UN effectively took control of governing the world (in which case, I'll bet the state of Montana was probably part of the Anti-UN...I hear some of those guys have a mortal fear of the UN in the real world... ), and the world's military was organized with the UN Army, UN Navy, UN Marines, UN Air Force and UN SPacy. In the Japanese, they actually use the word "Tougou-gun" or "Combined Military," which may give more of a flavor of a union of all the world's military forces.

Since no one can answer my question I am going to assume that the remastered versions are not available in Japan. Animiego's high price and lack of releasing outside the US created this bootleg. It is there own damn fault. The remasters have not been released in Japan, and they probably won't, since that's unmistakeably BW territory. The remasterd footage is owned by HG, who as far as we know would probably not let BW have them. As for blaming Animeigo for "creating the bootleg" as you accuse them of doing, that sounds like a bit of whining from someone who doesn't realize how the business works. Animeigo is FORBIDDEN to release outside of the US. If they did, HG would have sued them for breach of license. Most companies are only allowed to sell within a limited territory (this is so that the licensing comapny can sub-license to different distributors around the world, thereby making more money, as well as insulating themselves from some countries/regions whose laws may be restrictive on content.) As for the high price: Animeigo (a very small company) spent millions (that they had every right to refuse to do) on restoring the footage, and had to recoup the money somehow. They are not Bandai, who can spend like a drunken sailor on payday. Economies of scale, my friend. So lay off the talk about how you're so inconvinenced by Animeigo's involuntary business decisions and how that makes it suddenly all right to buy a bootleg of their work. ANIME IS A PRIVILIGE. NOT A RIGHT. NOT A NECESSITY OF LIFE. IT IS NOT OWED TO YOU, OR ME, OR ANYONE ELSE.

Then he must have been popping out bricks like mad with X-wings appearing in an episode of Urusei Yatsura...and the ROTJ parody in another episode of UY...

incorrect. this prorgam download the script for dyrl here and you can watch your region 2 on your pc with English subs. heck I am wathcign it with perfect subs now. Ali Um, he meant that the DVD itself is not equipped with subtitles. You can't pop it into a R2/R0 DVD player and expect to see any.

(Regarding the rest of the post: what Anubis said.) You're correct that if HG had a legitimate exclusive right to DYRL in the US, it would be illegal to import and distribute DYRL stuff that wasn't licensed by HG. However, there would one major loophole: you could still import stuff for personal use. So if you ordered directly from overseas via Hobbylink Japan, Toy Wave, etc., you shouldn't have any problem. Places like Valkyrie Exchange, TMPAnime, etc., might have more difficulty, since they import stuff for resale. However, HG would have to furnish proof of its rights, something they've refused thus far to do. I'm not a lawyer, so please don't take the above as legal advice. It's just speculation based on my reading of the law. Relevant portions of US copyright law are US Code Title 17, Chapter 5, and Chapter 6. The loophole is Section 602 (a) (2). Explain me something... how is importing illegal? If its trully illegal... why haven't I seen Nintendo, Sony, MS and many other companies run after retailers who sell import games? WHy haven't I seen Habro run after retailers who sell japanese versions of TF toys that are also available in the US? In Hasbros case.... they lose a pretty big part of their sales to ppl who by the Takara TF toys simply because they might be better or somethhing. Sounds extremely fishy to me, but then again... it might be illegal... and they just don't care enough to go through the hassle of running after those retailers. It is, but it isn't... in most cases, the retailers don't make a stink because it's so small scale. Kevin at Valk Excahnge and Spidey at Blasto import such small amounts that nobody cares -- except for HG, of course. Now, if Toys R Us was to import wholesale the TF reissues, then Hasbro might sue for restraint of trade or ask US Customs to step in (Customs would probably get involved anyway, just to make sure that the toys met safety requirements and to be sure that the gummint gets its cut of the tariffs). The same with Nintendo. Most of the imports are going to Little Tokyo, for Japanese expats who still have their Japanese systems and can't (for obvious reasons) get the latest Doraemon game here in the states. Nintendo probably doesn't feel it has to worry because of: a) the language barrier b) the price barrier c) the "doesn't have the right hardware" barrier. (although with fans, none of those three things mean a whole lot )

Might be. She lives in LA pretty much full time now.

Nice writeup JsARCLIGHT, except, IIRC, the original, ORIGINAL version (as in the very first pressing in 1984-85) was called "BattleDroids," but FASA quickly changed the name to avoid getting Lucas' lawyers on their tails over the use of the word "droid."

How about this one? If what's happening is what I think is happening, I'd gladly send this guy out to deal with them...just say they called him a "mendicant..."

Will you accept Sesterces, Bezants, Florins or silver pennies? I'm afraid my small bills have kinda run dry...

What are the payment options for the recasts?

I know she did the opening theme for Galaxy Angel, although I dunno if she did a voice for the show.

Correction: the original DVD has no subtitles.

Oh yeah. In fact, up when I was going to college in Oregon last year, I could still fing the ARII 15th Anniversary models at a local gaming shop. And, guys, we're probably only going to hear from BW and Yamato after the official unveiling of the DYRL figures, at which time they'll have already consulted with their lawyers and finally send out a message to HG that in effect says "put up (i.e. show us your license contract in a court of law) or shut up." Rest assured that right now, they probably have their lawyers on both sides of the Pacific working on this, and they'll tell the world in the fullness of time. That is, unless they DID make an agreement with HG, in which case, the rising of the Antichrist will be all the confirmation we need

Just being my usual, cynical self, I'd assume the latter. It seems to fit in with HG's MO. They haven't said exactly what they feel they own because they calim to own it all. (Of course, that's a crock, or as it's been said ad nauseam here, they'd have run crying to their lawyers back in the '90s over Mac Plus). Instead, theyprobably found a convinient peg for marketing and are running for it. The problem with Nightbat's theory is that assuming that they did buy the license from ARII, it would still be pretty restrictive. While there were AFAIK no region restrictions (ARII Macross product was available as late as 1998 at Suncoast Video in malls in America) in the agreement, wouldn't they have to fulfill the license with the product that ARII was producing at the time the license was inked? For instance, if ARII was making 1/100 action figures of x, y, and z, and Toynami goes and makes either a 1/55 action figure of x or a 1/100 of q, wouldn't that be a violation of the license?

Wow..that Skeletor is awesome! Now there's a MOTU villain that I'd finally be peeing my pants with fear over instead of laughter if I met him in a dark alley! And is that a Walther P-38 in Cobra Commander's hand?

It's ONLY been 48 hours. Which, to a lawyer, is an instant. Give it time, while they look at every angle. Translation: They'll tell us when they're damn good and ready.

I can already see someone locking this thread. Thus spoke Nostradamus. On the other hand, it was a pretty cheap publicity stunt...and with all of the other problems in the wold today, why should anyonne care?

I think the R2 is a DVD-9, but don't quote me on that. It has extremely good video quality, with no rainbows and even the "cigarette burns" apparently edited out.

Nadesico: Pretty good -- kinda a sci-fi spoof that turns serious like Macross. Crusher Joe -- never saw the TV/OAV, but he manga's good. Same universe as the Dirty Pair, only these WWWA Trouble Consultants are competent at doing their job with out blowing up planets Ghost in the Shell: SAC: Nice political thriller/cyberpunk action. Those are the ones that I've seen in one form or another.

I know nothing about this "Hamrony Gold , but if HG somehow enlists Animeigo to release DYRL, then I would, to compare notes (as well as to continue my support for more R1 releases of Macross shows and movies regardless of who has 'em)

Don't look now, ladies and gentlemen, but I did a little bit of deeper digging on the RT.com store, and found that they're apparently also selling the new album -- this is true -- the new album by Mari Ijima, "Right Now." She is even listed as the Japanese voice of Minmay. Cats and dogs living together, indeed. http://robotech.com/store/viewproduct.php?id=46

You...you...you... I was going to use that quote!

Not from what I heard, originally. Toho had been awarded rights by BW for distribution both domestically (Japan) and for foreign markets. The dub had been commissioned for that purpose. As hopes of making it commercially viable (outside of COTB and a few other releases in the US) dimmed, Toho released it in Japan as Superspace Fortress Macross. Whether or not it was as an English teaching tool or a novel gimmick to get fans to buy the same movie twice I don't know.