J films on video w/ E subtitles

[drainer@mpinet.net]

 So complicated... reminds me of growing up.

 Since we're on a discussion on the merits of Japanese "embromation," I'd
like to digress for a second and ask a question:  How difficult is it to
ship large items to Japan? I might stage for 6 months - year (depending on
the connections) and I was thinking about having my Lambretta shipped.
Should I bother or should I just use the train?

Again, sorry for the digression, but if anyone can provide the answer it
will be this list...

-df

----- Original Message -----
From: "Aaron Gerow" <gerow at ynu.ac.jp>
To: "KineJapan" <KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2002 4:33 AM
Subject: Re: J films on video w/ E subtitles


> Markus may have had his problems with a credit card (which seems odd,
> given that tourists use credit cards all the time), but at least he was
> able to buy some DVDs.
>
> As I have reported before, I had problems last time purchasing DVDs in
> Japan for my university because the companies, it seems, are blocking
> sales of DVDs to such institutions.
>
> I was able to talk to a representative of one company today and, while he
> was quite polite and understanding, amazed to find out the problem is
> even worse than I thought. He was saying that technically universities
> shouldn't be able to buy VHS tapes either! According to him, it was all a
> question of rights. DVDs and videos are sold for home use only, and to
> buy them for public use in a library involves other rights. The company
> only has the rights to sell them for home not public use. When I asked
> who has those rights, he said say the original producers (who in some
> cases can be multiple companies), but no one has made any arrangement to
> facilitate sales to universities and/or their libraries. (If I wanted to
> buy the tape/DVD for the university, I'd then have to get permission from
> each of the multiple producers of every single tape/DVD I want!) The
> argument, which I heard, is that sales to universities cut into rental
> video/DVD sales, so they're not interesting in facilitating such sales.
>
> Some Japanese companies do have special rates for library purchase (as
> some US companies do), but in general this is only for clearly
> educational products, and not for regular commercial films. Only a few
> DVDs and videos are sold for home and public use.
>
> Thus technically all of you who are buying DVDs and videos in Japan for
> university use, unless you are buying at a special institutional rate
> (which is only available on a small number of items), are doing so
> illegally because you have not paid the money to those who own the rights
> for public use.
>
> The result, of course, is abominable. Namely that unless the Japanese
> industry can get its act together and coordinate sales of videos/DVDs of
> commercial films to libraries, no university can legally purchase them
> and film studies in Japan will remain stillborn.
>
> Aaron Gerow
> Associate Professor
> International Student Center
> Yokohama National University
> 79-1 Tokiwadai
> Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501
> JAPAN
> E-mail: gerow at ynu.ac.jp
> Phone: 81-45-339-3170
> Fax: 81-45-339-3171
>