Announcement: Level 7 Civil Servant recaps now with less Joo-won
by javabeans
Okay, I have to get serious for a moment to address an issue that has just come to our attention. Dramabeans has had its very first DCMA takedown notice delivered, and sadly this is not a “Baby’s first milestone” sort of celebratory event. The notice came with scary legal lingo and accompanying threats to discontinue our hosting service if we don’t comply with the demands to take down our Level 7 Civil Service recaps.
I know, I know, the show is crap, but I confess to being really flummoxed and upset and maybe a little shaking in rage right now about it all. Korea is pretty welcoming of screencap usage and often encourages the practice, so while I am not going to argue the point about copyright, I have to say that I feel a little sucker-punched.
We’d offer more details if we understood them, but at this point all we know is that the complaint was made about the Level 7 recaps specifically, that our infringement is regarding the photos, and that the agent filing the complaint represents Dramafever, which is cited as the owner of intellectual property rights.
Yeah, we’re confused. We don’t understand. But we don’t want our site poofed either, so we’re taking down all Level 7 recap images. Sorry to everyone who loves to gaze upon Joo-won’s beautiful face without having to sit through the drudgery of actually watching the show. We’re super bummed too. We hope you understand, but please don’t worry that recaps will die because of this! Girlfriday and I will still be recapping through the bitter end, and yes, I’m pretty sure it’ll be bitter.
On the other hand: FEEL FREE (we actively encourage it, in fact) to submit hand-drawn images! Stick figures just as welcome as abstract interpretation and hand-placed Mediterranean tiled mosaic art. We’re not picky, and we’re not discriminating!
RELATED POSTS
- Level 7 Civil Servant: Episode 13
- Level 7 Civil Servant: Episode 12
- Level 7 Civil Servant: Episode 11
- Level 7 Civil Servant: Episode 10
- Level 7 Civil Servant: Episode 9
- Level 7 Civil Servant: Episode 8
- Level 7 Civil Servant: Episode 7
- Level 7 Civil Servant: Episode 6
- Level 7 Civil Servant: Episode 5
- Level 7 Civil Servant: Episode 4
- Level 7 Civil Servant: Episode 3
- Level 7 Civil Servant: Episode 2
- Level 7 Civil Servant: Episode 1
Tags: bloggy, featured, Level 7 Civil Servant
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1 Bio
March 7, 2013 at 1:03 AM
This is so stupid.
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ivoire
March 7, 2013 at 4:52 AM
I don't know if I am correct, however I remember seeing JB's name listed in some of the dramas subtitlers' names a few years ago on DF. And as many have said, this site did advertise for DF for quite a while. So what happened? (It is somewhat of a rhetorical question, however feel free to answer if you would like to).
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myweithisway
March 7, 2013 at 8:14 AM
Ivoire, I apologize for hijacking your comment but I wanted this message to be at the top.
Everyone, I know that we are all angry and disappointed, I am too. But I encourage everyone to stay classy while disagreeing.
Let's do without the name calling and the bashing because we want to show that we are not mindless fans but people who are expressing what we feel. Name calling accomplishes nothing.
Let's prove that we are a classy and dedicated international fanbase of DB!
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outthere
March 7, 2013 at 10:26 AM
People have been complaining about DF for a while, from another site:
"This is my tl:dr rant on Dramafever.
Don’t get me wrong, I like Dramafever, I was one of the first people to try their site and jump in for a paid subscription, but now…
1. They are turning into the bully of the subbing world. It’s one thing to go after the big sites, which are making profits, but going after the volunteer subbing teams, who have been around way before the DF team did their first business model PowerPoint; some who provided them with free subs, when they first started?
2. What really irks me though is the subbing. Ha, the subbing, the main point of the whole thing. I really dislike when DF is the only site that gets licensing for a drama, because that means you have to wait 3 or more days to get the week’s episodes subbed. Whereas the other subbing sites, usually have a 24 hour turn around, and if the drama is popular, then the turnaround window is even shorter. Waiting for subbed episodes stifles discussions on the drama threads, because some have watched, while some are still waiting and ends up affecting the popularity of the drama to international fans.
3. Not only is the subbing time longer, but because they cater primarily to a North American audience, they tend to translate the subs using American colloquialism. It is somewhat jarring, because even with limited Korean, one can deduce that the Ajussi that just spoke did not use an American slang. I am not saying subs have to be a direct translation, because then it would just be Google translate gibberish. However it is a disservice to the drama writer and viewers, when the dialogue is cut up, paraphrased or summarized in a manner that changes the original context.
Like I said, I used to like Dramafever, but DF needs to focus more on improving their service, increase their drama database and improve the quality and speed of their subbing, rather than tiresome cosmetic changes to their site interface and filing ridiculous legal notices to threaten other K-entertainment sites."
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tazzy
March 7, 2013 at 11:00 AM
Eeh..
I've never bothered to use that site. I get my shit free! haha Or I watch without subs (It's great for improving my Korean).
SH
March 7, 2013 at 11:48 AM
Did you post this at soompi? I remembered reading this there? :)
Caitlyn
March 7, 2013 at 7:49 PM
I would watch shows on DramaFever if i could. Unfortunately, only Americans and Canadians can actually watch their videos...
That's my main issue with DramaFever. Don't shut down other websites if you're only licensed for North America. That's not fair for the rest of the world.
Wendilynn
March 7, 2013 at 8:38 PM
While I agree there are some frustrations with the subbing process they have, their site is easier to use then the others I've tried. Its straight forward to use which cannot be said of any of the others I've run into. Viki is a good example of a terrible user interface.
anicheung
March 8, 2013 at 7:13 PM
I'm in agreement here. I used Dramafever when it first started out and even subscribed to their premium plan. But then they started getting ambitious and trying new fancy "site improvements", though unfortunately with that, the streaming and quality started getting worse. And the site got stranger to navigate, not harder, but it used to be so much more convenient to find shows. Whatever happened to Dramafever was NOT an improvement.
Whenever streaming a show, it would often freeze up in the middle several times which got annoying fast since it happened almost every time I watched something. And I know it's not my internet, because I would then go to another site to stream and everything would stream just fine. So I'm actually pretty disappointed in them too. Because if I'm paying for a service, I expect to actually be able to use that service.
And now this? I didn't realize that Dramafever was out bullying other subbing sites as well.
helen
March 13, 2013 at 2:14 AM
after i registered with DF, i found out that it's meant for North America while I'm from Malaysia... and mayb the region was in the fine print cos it wasn't out in the open...
Stacy
March 7, 2013 at 12:54 PM
Hijacking again to post this:
http://blog.dramafever.com/2013/03/a-message-from-dramafever/?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=tweet&utm_term=%20&utm_campaign=df%2Bnews
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kakashi
March 7, 2013 at 1:01 PM
oh, I love to comments to that ...
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birthday girl
March 7, 2013 at 2:27 PM
Dramabeans took down Kimchidrama and mysoju! [I know b/c my friends worked there]
DarknessEyes
March 7, 2013 at 3:29 PM
@ Birthday Girl
do you mean Dramabeans or Dramafever??
Ace
March 8, 2013 at 12:15 AM
Oh so that's why when I was looking for mysoju yesterday, I couldn't find it? I'm sorry, but what right do they have to do that? Before I discovered other sites to watch, I started out with mysoju. And try as I might to be classy here on the 'net, all I could think of to say is dramafever sucks and should be boycotted.
couchpotato_md
March 8, 2013 at 4:13 AM
I couldnt help but to comment there...
such a shame considering that people actually first heard of dramafever from visiting dramabeans. Even if its a third party's actions that had caused this issue, it's still something that shouldn't happened in the first place. Obviously dramafever doesn't understand the culture and fanbase of the kdrama watching community. This community thrive on the generosity of people who endeavor in bringing accesibility to kdrama and feeding the fans with infos, synopsis, subs and whatever materials of any form that can be provided. Fans feels indebted to these people and this breeds loyalty. I am for one would always support and show my loyalty as a sign of how I feel indebted to these generous people by bycotting sites that would step on the sites I have followed for years. I will not go back to the site of dramafever nor will I recommend this site to any kdrama fan from where ever in the world that i meet on forums because I believe that there should not be any monopoly in this community nor should there be in the future. Such attempts should be nipped on the bud as early as possible. So unsubscribe, don't visit any site who makes any steps towards any form of monopoly.
I don't think making a proactive stand, base on the whole picture, would make you less classy btw
tweetie
March 8, 2013 at 4:59 AM
The apology doesn't seem to be enough though, so many people are leaving DramaFever, and the comments to the apology are negative. This was such a dumbass thing to do, DB has such a wide fan base who all watch Drama!! Wonder what they were thinking. The only reason I even heard of DramaFever ws beacuse of DB advertising it.
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Noa
March 8, 2013 at 9:52 AM
After reading the comments on dramafever's "apology" page I have to say that I'm really proud of the k-drama fans. I really appreciated the constructive, well though-out criticisms on that page and they are more eloquent than the usual name-calling I'm used to. You guys are way awesome :)
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Birthday girl
March 8, 2013 at 11:17 AM
I MEANT DRAMAFEVER--Oh I am sooooooo sorry!
DF took doown mysoju and kimchidram
SORRY dramabeans!!!!
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Birthday girl
March 8, 2013 at 11:20 AM
Plus they took down a plethora of other subbing sites :(
shiroikiwi
July 31, 2013 at 9:58 PM
I second Ivoire's comment. What happened?
At first, when I heard about Dramafever from Dramabeans, I thought it was a great step in the right direction. A company that was willing to work with fans and fansubbers, even using the fansubs in their videos. A company that listened to the voice of its community. Why has it ended up slapping one of its biggest supporters with DCMA notices?
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DayDreamer
March 7, 2013 at 6:06 AM
I'm not sure how these legalities work but my sentiments are the same as the rest of the Beanies: disbelief/outrage.
However, I would certainly like to draw some pictures....this means I have to at least watch the show, right? Maybe you can mention the scenes you want to go with particular segments of your recap (kinda like how you determine which scenes to screencap).
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Dominique
March 7, 2013 at 12:04 PM
Aside from legalities, does this make business sense?
Level 7 Civil Servant is not exactly the hottest show in town, let alone on the globe. A dog fight over a dead horse makes no sense to me.
It is admirable that Dramabeans is determined to carry on recapping this drama. But it would be perfectly sensible if Dramabeans decides to drop it. There are other, worthier dramas currently playing on Korean TV that Dramabeans has not recapped. Maybe its time and efforts, which are not limitless resources, can be better utilized by transferring its attention to these dramas.
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Pipit
March 7, 2013 at 4:49 PM
I haven't watched Level 7, but if I were Dramabeans I'll drop this drama all together and switch to another.
I used to go to DF but not anymore.
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tadaaflo
March 7, 2013 at 6:16 AM
yeap.. totally stupid... can i vent this to dramafever? can we all go and bug the hellout dramafever? troll them on twitter? i'm more pissed abt them messing with dramabeans rather than the show itself. cant imagine my life without dramabeans.
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nomad
March 7, 2013 at 7:09 AM
shall we? shall we troll them on twitter? Me too, I'm pissed that they're messing wth dramabeans. What do they call those really fanatic fans in Korea? Well, DF just don't know what hit them if they continue messing with DB.
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aisuzieya
March 9, 2013 at 2:30 AM
lol. thats what i've been doing for the past 24 hours out of rage. but now that im calmer, i'm making the "BOYCOTT DramaFever until they stop their litigious activities and bullying to kdramas related website" on tumblr and on every freakin place on internet and to my friends, family and maybe cat or dogs next.
its such a sad occurrence that so many smaller and less influential websites are shut down over some small screenshots and some websites that have been translating for free for a long time got knock down...leaves truly bad taste in my mouth.
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Mic
March 7, 2013 at 7:12 AM
Even though you're upset, isn't that a little immature?
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(permanent) visitor
March 7, 2013 at 7:29 AM
Depends how it's worded. But if one disagrees, then I think there is certainly justification for SOME response, and the more public the better. Twitter works for that.
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Mic
March 7, 2013 at 9:37 PM
Well, the word used was "troll", so...
skelly
March 7, 2013 at 7:35 AM
Mic are you on the DF payroll or something? In terms of a net-based business, the louder the response volume the better. When we are talking about the net and businesses that feed of same, "immature" is a VERY nebulous concept.
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skelly
March 7, 2013 at 7:36 AM
That's "off same". pardon.
Mic
March 7, 2013 at 9:39 PM
Yeah, as a 15 year old girl, I'm not on anyone's payroll except my neighbors for whom I babysit. I don't think complaining is a problem, I think antagonizing and trolling a site is unnecessary and rude. Trolling and bad-talking is never the answer.
les
March 7, 2013 at 6:59 PM
keep up mic
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Lord of the Things
March 10, 2013 at 5:01 PM
You're so much more mature than I was at your age! Or than I am now :(
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a_diva
March 7, 2013 at 7:47 AM
there's probably no need to troll on dramafever, but i would certainly recommend a simple e-mail to them to voice your complaint. i e-mailed them when they recently changed their format because there were some convenient features that didn't carry over. i received an email back from a human being within 24 hrs. he was very nice and asked me to pinpoint some of the things i didn't like and offered to show me how to find it with the new format, etc.
so i think dramafever would at least be open to knowing how its fans feel. the more people that support DBs the better i'd think.
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Eileen
March 7, 2013 at 8:12 AM
I wrote them an email:
Hi Drama Fever,
As a kdrama fan, I have been a regular visitor to both DramaBeans.com and DramaFever.com for many years. I am disappointed with the short-sightedness of a DCMA takedown notice regarding Level 7 Civil Service images used in episode recaps on Dramabeans.com.
As far as I and many of my fellow drama watchers are concerned, episode recaps and watching episodes in person are two COMPLEMENTARY activities, and are not substitute activities. Many times I have been persuaded to commit to watching a drama after reading episode recaps, positively increasing my interest in watching dramas on your site.
I respectfully ask that the company re-examine the pros and cons of alienating the DramaBeans audience, and carefully consider how it can impact the overall drama consumption experience for drama fans such as myself.
Thank you,
Eileen
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Eileen
March 7, 2013 at 9:45 AM
Please write to them at their email and Facebook page! Reposting the links:
http://www.facebook.com/DramaFever?fref=ts
https://twitter.com/dramafever
http://support.dramafever.com/customer/portal/emails/new
skelly
March 7, 2013 at 10:49 AM
Eileen, I added some to yours, and also emailed it (sorry, long post ahead!)
To Dramafever:
I am one of the initial members of Dramafever. How did I find out about your wonderful site? I heard about it on Dramabeans. How did I find out about City Hall, City Hunter, Rooftop Prince, and every drama in between? By reading recaps and upcoming drama reports on Dramabeans.
Dramabeans is a widely respected, widely read Korean drama website known for the fairness of their reviews and the breadth of their reporting. Therefore I was shocked and dismayed to find out that Dramafever had instigated a DCMA takedown notice regarding Level 7 Civil Service images used in episode recaps on Dramabeans.
I realize that Dramafever is trying to cut their own niche out of the drama resale market by offering exclusive subbing and re-broadcast of shows, but Dramabeans is not infringing on this niche, at all. People use recaps to decide which show to watch or supplement their viewing experience; it is not a replacement for watching an episode. In forcing Dramabeans to take down the images they use to support their recaps, you are in fact cutting off your own customer base.
As far as drama watchers are concerned, episode recaps and watching episodes in person are two complimentary activities. Many times I have been persuaded to commit to watching a drama after reading episode recaps, positively increasing my interest in watching dramas on your site.
I respectfully ask that the company re-examine the pros and cons of alienating the Dramabeans audience, and carefully consider how it can impact the overall drama consumption experience for drama fans such as myself. Personally, if Dramafever intends to continue this practice of banning the use of images from “exclusive” shows, I intend to boycott these exclusives; the advantage of having a show on your site does not outweigh the disadvantage of broken links, missing sites, missing information.
Please keep in mind that the international audience for Korean dramas, and foreign dramas in general, is quite small, and the way to grow your customer base is not by cutting off access to images and hoarding information, but by allowing easy access to information to get worldwide notice. As an example, I offer the marketing of Java – the reason this programming language won out over so many others is that it was offered, open source, so that it would become the defacto standard. At this rate, Dramafever is not headed toward becoming anything but a nuisance and a boycott target. Someone needs to take their eyes off the balance sheet and put themselves in their customers’ shoes.
Respectfully,
Suzanne Kelly
(“skelly” on both Dramabeans AND Dramafever)
Mama J
March 7, 2013 at 12:25 PM
I think this was very well worded! My fear, however, is that we have the kind of situation you find in trademark or copyright protection: if you do not vigorously defend yourself against all 'violators' you weaken your rights.
I'd venture to say that DF has hired themselves a very aggressive legal team, and that while they may not personally care or even agree that screen caps on a site like DB are an infringement, they're acting on the advise of legal counsel.
What I'd like to see is some sort of arrangement between DF and sites like this that allows the sites certain privileges. I'm aware that it might not be possible for DF to grant those privileges based on the rights they themselves negotiated with the broadcaster or production company, but it's worth a discussion.
I cannot fault any business for pursuing its legal rights, but I actively applaud and seek out those businesses that can use common sense and work with a spirit of community, and I will be sharing that in my own email to DF, where I have been a paid subscriber for a couple of years. They are not the fasted subbed or the best subbed, but for good quality video and sound on streaming sites, DF and Viki are my options. I'm hesitant to ignore either.
couchpotato_md
March 8, 2013 at 5:10 AM
very nicely worded.
I would still not support any site that tries to have monopoly on access to any materials of any form regarding kdrama viewing and sites that alienate viewers from certain parts of the world that do not belong to the demographic to which they consider as their market . That is just my proactive stand to prevent such instance in the future.
Kiara
March 7, 2013 at 6:27 AM
I'm speechless. Time to cancel DF account. What a bunch of D.....s
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Kayegil
March 7, 2013 at 7:22 AM
I Second That. Yup! bunches of... D and A
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Mandelbrotr
March 7, 2013 at 7:12 AM
Comments can be made directly to DramaFever at http://support.dramafever.com/customer/portal/emails/new.
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Katie
March 7, 2013 at 10:51 AM
This is ridiculous. First no license on Viki. And then this??? NOOOOOO. I want to see Joo Won.
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liz
March 7, 2013 at 11:47 AM
Yes, it is s stupid.
I did liked DF before, because of Dramabeans I found some dramas there I couldn't find anywhere. So it was thanks to Dramabeans and their comments to watch on Dramafever that I watched there, I thought
''maybe they use this site because the subtitles are trustable.''
but then I discovered Viki and their subs are much better and faster. Viki videos also load fast than Dramafever videos that takes ages to load and with no internet connection they crash (viki videos can be loaded and work without internet for me)
I see many subtitles wrong and they also do no translate everything the characters say. They take days to release the subs that are not good and even have grammar mistakes sometimes!!!
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aznative
March 7, 2013 at 12:38 PM
I agree with Liz.
I've noticed higher quality translation on subs on Viki too. Really like that Viki defines certain Korean idioms as well. Many times I've decided to tolerate Viki commercials instead of watching the same series on DramaFever's site.
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liz
March 7, 2013 at 1:05 PM
Maybe I have a good ad blocker, but I never saw any commercials on Viki or Dramafever, you can use a good ad blocker for it and not be bothered anymore ^^
I like viki because it also have other languages... and the comments that are fun to read sometimes ^^
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danna
March 7, 2013 at 12:41 PM
DF just released this :http://blog.dramafever.com/2013/03/a-message-from-dramafever/?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=tweet&utm_term=%20&utm_campaign=df%2Bnews
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skelly
March 7, 2013 at 12:50 PM
Well, that was speedy. Perhaps the bully finally found someone not easily intimidated.
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nomad
March 7, 2013 at 12:57 PM
I wonder what that means for DB...can they screencaps again, then? Yay for the power of voice!
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Cabbage
March 8, 2013 at 8:26 AM
Good work, beanies!
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far
March 7, 2013 at 9:43 PM
agree, this is pretty stupid.. but i'm glad JB and GF will continue recapping the drama though the storyline sucks (a lot), but it'd be nice to actually see the pics from the drama being in line with what's being recapped.
i hope this doesnt happen to other dramas recapped. it sucks if it does.
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2 ekrammarkee
March 7, 2013 at 1:07 AM
Man, Dramafever has been a little bitch lately with recent popularity of kdramas. Trying to get ~exclusivity~ rights an all, makes me want to avoid a drama even more if I have to go to a grubby site like dramafever to watch it. Sorry Joo Won, I'll just rewatch Gaksital on VIKI with nice staff, faster subbing, and a better more fun community.
Dramafever incenses me, taking the fun out of dramas. >:|
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hawaiianseoul
March 7, 2013 at 1:42 AM
I know! Ughhh
Here you go dramafever, have my Joowon socks too while you're at it.
I'm so not pleased that they pulled a Kanye on another innocent drama blog and this time it's dramabeans they're targeting. :L
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Ivoire
March 7, 2013 at 3:56 AM
Hi, what does it mean, to "pull a Kanye?" Thanks!
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Saner
March 7, 2013 at 4:11 AM
Reference to Kanye West's completely unnecessary and disrespectful upstaging and disruption of Taylor Swift receiving an award at the 2009 VMA awards.
Linky link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4xWU8o2cvA
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ivoire
March 7, 2013 at 4:41 AM
Thank you Saner, for the explanation and for the linky link :-).
Kakashi
March 7, 2013 at 1:55 AM
well a VERY little bitchy, really - they're all over everybody. It's very ugly of them. I understand the whole complexity of (digital) rights, but this will not help at all. People just move their servers to different countries or go for other services - and Dramafever runs a high risk of reputational damage. Their actions lately are the main reason why I don't want to use the site (and don't).
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lemonade candy
March 7, 2013 at 9:39 AM
Maybe they're scared that people won't watch the show on their site anymore because audience has become more selective in picking shows to be watched as dramabeans has so far given us accurate preview/review/recaps/comments; and being brutally honest about some shows (I totally love dramabeans for this; I mean, if a show sucks, we gotta say it sucks instead of sugarcoating rotten apples)
insecure SOBS afraid of losing audience thus blaming dramabeans. boooooo.
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aznative
March 7, 2013 at 12:40 PM
You made a good point here and I wondered the same myself.
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Vincy
March 7, 2013 at 3:03 AM
I live in Australia so I can't even watch Dramafever, even if I wanted to!!
Absolutely disgusting behaviour, Dramafever, you don't even legalise it in Australia but ban it on international sites? I like reading recaps with Joo Won's pretty face on it!
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Honora
March 7, 2013 at 6:19 AM
Same problem, different country. Damn you Germany *sigh*
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Hedviglilla
March 7, 2013 at 6:47 AM
There goes the same in Hungary. Damn you Damafever at least if everyone could watch it that would be great! Not to mention that how will I get my weekly Joowon dose at Dramabeans...
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eynay
March 7, 2013 at 8:50 AM
also in Malaysia!
Yukie
March 7, 2013 at 9:13 AM
Also in Singapore!!! Stupid website!!
Harshada Haldankar
March 7, 2013 at 9:42 AM
also in India!! :@ :@ i always knew dat dramafever was a snobbish bitch... keeping dramas to itself! *shaking my fist*
u hav our full support dramabeans!!
joykim
March 8, 2013 at 7:01 AM
also in Hong Kong
dramabliss
March 8, 2013 at 8:52 PM
And in the Philippines, too!
Caitlyn
March 7, 2013 at 7:57 PM
Aussie here :-)
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parny
March 8, 2013 at 12:29 AM
Full support from New Zealand! Chin up DB! =) <3
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Lord of the Things
March 10, 2013 at 5:05 PM
I love this little league of people in countries who are still waiting for things to be 'made available in your region! :)'
So infuriating
joybells
March 7, 2013 at 3:12 AM
Yup that's so wrong of them,but dramafever dosn't work in my country anyway.
I don't know about digital broadcasting rights,but i read somewhere that sites like "my soju" shut down because dramafever claimed broadcasting rights or something (im not sure though). Does it mean "my soju" and other sites were illlegally showing dramas?
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Kakashi
March 7, 2013 at 4:29 AM
yes, these sites are all illegal. in some countries, watching from these sites is also illegal.
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joybells
March 7, 2013 at 6:22 AM
ohh kay...i really had no idea.But i really hope they don't do the same to Dramacrazy and Epdrama.Its one of the few of the sites left which have properly subbed dramas and which works in my country.
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TS
March 7, 2013 at 10:19 AM
Oh my God no! Don't even say that. I'll die. Okay, not really, but I'll be super disappointed and have to go back to reading books or something.
pearl3101
July 15, 2013 at 5:00 AM
that happened... No more dramacrazy... :( I really don't understand..how the dramafever which is clearly not even available in every country is banning sites that actually are available... first mysoju and now dramacrazy too.... And how could they force us to watch only from dramafever???? Do I not have a choice on where I want to watch dramas from...??? And sites such as dramacrazy, mysoju ,epdrama all existed together for so many years... All that the people in dramafever have to do.. is simply to be the best so that they'll be chosen.. I really wish all the money and effort they are putiing into such dirty tactics can be put use to actually improve ther freaking site.... :P
pearl3101
July 15, 2013 at 5:02 AM
And the smiley was s'posed to be this :P
S a r a h
March 7, 2013 at 4:33 AM
So THAT'S why mysoju is no longer around?!
What --- why--- arggghhh!
What the hell, dramafever? Ugh. Don't you dare touch the other hosting sites (i.e. epdrama, dramacrazy)!
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Kakashi
March 7, 2013 at 4:40 AM
It depends where these sites are hosted. I am guessing that dramacrazy is not hosted in the US, because it dodged last year's major crack down. Same with epdrama. If they ARE hosted in the US, the likelihood of them being shut down is very, very high. Some subs-distribution sites - who rip sups from i.e. DF or viki - who have been taken down repeatedly have now moved their servers to other countries.
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mel
March 7, 2013 at 3:23 AM
Yeah, hate dramafever since they started acting like that. I haven't watched their stupid exclusives. Viki didn't get IMY or this show. Both shitty, but... I watch my shows there to snark in the comments. How can I snark with no Viki. Makes me think they won't get Gu Family Book either and then I'll be forced to go to Dramafever for my SG. :(
Stick figures will make this show more enjoyable though. Can't wait to see!
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sisterjune
March 7, 2013 at 7:35 AM
Just go watch on dramacrazy. I hate dramafever so many freaking ads. every five minutes wtf? and I know friends who use DF and even pay subscription fees in order to support more sites legally airing dramas and stuff like that. but DF is being MAD RUDE. like the f**k? So many people in the world want to watch dramas but cant even access DF. and its not like recaps are a real replacement for watching. usually i rely on them for clarity on things I didnt quite get via the subs or just missed the first time watching. and if I didnt plan to watch the drama and just want to read recaps to see what happened. then i sure as hell wont watch it just cause there's no recaps. I am too busy for that.
Like IDK what DF thinks they are achieving but they are just driving people away and making it harder for non americans to access dramas. thank god they cant take down Dramacrazy like, idk what I'd do without it. esp since they host alot of dramas that neither DF or Viki carry.
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lemondoodle
March 7, 2013 at 8:44 AM
I do like dramacrazy actually. It's the first place I went to before Viki. The speedy joe?? stream is insanely fast on even my crappy internets. I hope they manage to stay alive.
I did use DF for awhile, but the ads always screwed up the videos for me. Or they never loaded. And their mobile ap is crap, unlike Viki which works perfectly. It's really a bad site considering they get paid so much. Ugh I hate them.
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JO
March 7, 2013 at 8:53 AM
unfortunately Dramacrazy can have really CRAPPY subs. Like, a lot of time, the subs make absolute no sense, sometimes I'm suspicious they use some online translator. A lot! of meaning gets lost with dramacrazy.
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kdramapedia
March 7, 2013 at 4:55 AM
Ugh, I hate dramafever. I have tried not to say much about my hatred since at one point this site was working with them, but wow! I fate to DMCA, and how extreme it is. And I hate dramafever/hulu. I only started using df again for L7CC since it's not on viki, but it made me mad because I can't even watch new episodes until 3 or 4 days later! I'd rather watch it on the smaller sites with crazy navigation and chopped up episodes than on df. I refuse to encourage df's crap!
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kdramapedia
March 7, 2013 at 4:56 AM
*I hate the DMCA
(Stupid autocorrect!)
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sisterjune
March 7, 2013 at 7:40 AM
unfortunately DMCA is way more lenient than alot of other internet copyright laws in the works right now. since there's alot of loop holes. just be glad u dont live in japan. their copyright laws are RIDIC. and yeah I appreciate SK because they encourage recappers, translators and youtube in order to spread hallyu. its because kpop and kdramas are so accessible and quickly subbed, that I ended up moving from jpop to kpop even tho I do still have love for my jpop groups but it became too exhausting to dig around for subs and files, esp when all those file hosts kept going down or removing files on the regular. not to mention so many sub groups are extra exclusive and hard to join. like, no one has time to write you an essay about why they want to join your community. gtfo with that. ugh sorry rant went way off topic.
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kdramapedia
March 7, 2013 at 9:31 AM
omg, I know! I had an incident with youtube via Sony because I had the radio in the background which you couldn't even hear unless you turned the volume turned all the way up and strained your ears. These companies are going a little crazy over these piracy acts. Everything for a dollar, I swear! *end off topic rant*
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JO
March 7, 2013 at 8:57 AM
but it makes sense that they release things 3 or 4 days later since they want quality subs. THAT I understand. I understand them being based in the US only releasing it to the US etc. What I don't understand is their BACKSTABBERY AGAINST DB!!
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kdramapedia
March 7, 2013 at 9:32 AM
No, I mean the video is up, live, and completely subbed, but it won't play for me at all. I get an error message instead. And it's a problem noted in many of the comments. Even paid users are having problems with new episodes not playing until almost a week after their release.
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Shiku
March 7, 2013 at 4:56 AM
Makes me wish I didn't renew my subscription last month! Ugh!!!!!!!!!!!! Why should they go after DB which has been so supportive!!!!!!
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jazz
March 7, 2013 at 6:51 AM
spell BITCHES = D.R.A.M.A.F.E.V.E.R
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3 wtf
March 7, 2013 at 1:07 AM
What now they own screencaps? Is THAT even legal?
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sisterjune
March 7, 2013 at 7:43 AM
It's not. they cant ban recaps or reviews. but since they have copyright on the intellectual property they CAN kick up a fuss over stuff like clips or subbed video or in this case yes screencaps/images. so thus DB taking down images kinda puts the kibosh on DF's plan to take down DB in order to stall "competition" just gross and mercenary as hell. the worst type of business practice.
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4 hallyuholicmom
March 7, 2013 at 1:08 AM
PFFFT!!!! Whatever Dramafever. :(
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5 Rena
March 7, 2013 at 1:09 AM
:(
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6 ht
March 7, 2013 at 1:09 AM
Speechless... Just.. WTF.
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7 jyyjc
March 7, 2013 at 1:10 AM
Oh.My.God. I am raging for you rn.
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8 Ahsoka
March 7, 2013 at 1:11 AM
That's terrible! :(
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Ahsoka
March 7, 2013 at 1:18 AM
So, this probably isn't all that helpful but what about just posting random non-Level 7 Civil Servant related pictures of Joo Won in the place of screen caps? Since he's one of the only good things about the show anyways... ;)
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S a r a h
March 7, 2013 at 4:37 AM
THIS. yes, please. post 1n2d pictures of him instead!
that's gotta be hilarious, which may (or may not) be a good thing. hehe
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iZzie :)
March 7, 2013 at 7:47 AM
Or we can use random non-L7CS head photo of Joo Won with stick figure body.
Gonna be a lot of work but it can be funny.
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9 Gaksital will never forgive you
March 7, 2013 at 1:13 AM
I'm so confused. Why does it have to be this show and just screencaps specifically? DF, why are you doing this? :(
Btw, thank you Dramabeans for recaping this show still. You're doing good deeds here.
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chane
March 7, 2013 at 1:19 AM
Love your screen name!!!:) Missing Gaksital.
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hawaiianseoul
March 7, 2013 at 1:44 AM
+++++++++++++++++++++++1 for your screen name!
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S a r a h
March 7, 2013 at 4:34 AM
THUMBS UP for your name! haha
Gaksital will never forgive you and so will I!
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Belle3005
March 7, 2013 at 5:15 AM
EPIC NAME RIGHT THERE. Well,we can't gain access to DF over here in Malaysia but it doesn't make it less frustrating. This whole thing is just pure apeshit. This drama wasn't even va-va-voom awesome to start with,so I don't get the WE HAVE EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS claim and also it's ridiculous to claim copyrights over screencaps. It would be understandable had it been about videos being posted illegally,but screencaps? SO RIDICULOUS. Plenty of people create screencaps all the time,be it for recaps or personal spazzing reasons,so does it mean that everyone who does it has to go to jail? Meh,then plenty of k-drama addicts would be breaching the law unknowingly all this while then.
Screencaps in recap enhances the entire watching experience. What would recaps be without the screencaps? To be honest,I would have never known about the existence of DF had it not been for DB,so they definitely owe it to DB some credit and it's just disheartening to see this crap unravel. They better not mess with TWTWB,OR ELSE. *shakes fists*
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DayDreamer
March 7, 2013 at 5:51 AM
ROFL....I love your name.....I came to comment here on the topic but your name caught my attention while scrolling down and couldn't resist saying something about it.
*sigh* I miss Gaksital...
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DAEBAK!
March 7, 2013 at 7:25 AM
So Will I!
HORSITAAAL WILL KICK DF's Ass!!!
I don't watch L7CS. I only read the recaps so I can see Joo Won which I can do easily on 1N2D, plus I've got my other means ^.^ DB is my homepage<3 I start and end my day with DB and I am not kidding! How dare The Jackass touch DB?! I am more than fuming mad! SERIOUSLY how dare you?! I have only once visited the stupid site & that will be the LAST!
On the other side, I get to see fellow beanies' artistic or will it be crazy & hilarious works of JW's pretty face! So excited for that^^
JB and GF ROCK ON!!!
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sisterjune
March 7, 2013 at 7:48 AM
no DF wanted the whole recaps taken down, bu they have no legal basis to ensure that. so they used the pics as an excuse. but ofc DB just removed thhe pics so fuck u DF. and like. I dont even think they have a real way to shut down DB even over the screencap issue but I dont blame DB for not wanting to fight that, and getting into a legal battle. no matter how nonsensical. like if u moved the screencap hosting to another site, u would have a good loophole there. even if u just moved the recaps with pics to another free host site. and linked to it. u could subvert the laws. or if say someone did recaps on a free server outside the US with screencaps and linked to them of their own will with no prompting (that can be proven anyway haha) by DB they could also get under DF that way. ofc this all takes alot of effort and maneuvering so I dont expect anyone to do it. but if there is a will there is a way. esp on the internet ;)
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sisterjune
March 7, 2013 at 7:51 AM
by someone i meant a DB poster linking in the comments. since DB isnt responsible for user generated content. in the DMCA nothing states that. and thats why big companies want to put in laws that make sites responsible for stuff on their site even if its not made or hosted by them. just linked by them or users. like mysoju could have avoided being taken down, but companies like to use fancy legal lingo thats actually alot of bullshit with maybe a speck or two of truth in order to scare people away from their "intellectual property" and shut sites down. ugh.
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danna
March 7, 2013 at 12:37 PM
I'm thinking they have some crazy idea that dramabeans recaps is the reason that no one is watching the show on their site because DB recaps call out the show's issues?....which is ridiculous because I actually ventured to watch the show's last episode cuz of DB's recap....to check out the world's slowest case scene as JB called it....lol......I mean why else would they only request it for THIS show's recaps? what about all the other shows they have that DB recapped?...also what about Dramabeans actually supporting them and directing people to watch these shows on their site legally before a lot of their recaps....I say DB should take down those directives too..granted it won't make a huge difference
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10 Geneva
March 7, 2013 at 1:13 AM
Ugh, Dramafever is such a bag of dicks.
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Elizabeth
March 7, 2013 at 4:58 AM
This made me lol.
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Shellybean
March 7, 2013 at 5:24 AM
Me too. What a visual.
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Toystar
March 7, 2013 at 8:41 AM
so funny! I love it!
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11 Mareina
March 7, 2013 at 1:14 AM
I hope this doesn't spread to other dramas...
Thanks a lot for all the effort you put in recaps and articles continuously! Don't be discouraged!
I do look forward to the drawings though, great idea =D
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Kakashi
March 7, 2013 at 1:57 AM
I'm pretty sure it will. Worst case: they're going for ALL the shows, also the past ones. I know it has happened in case of (soft) subs, even softsubs that weren't even theirs!
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Betty
March 7, 2013 at 4:08 AM
Imagine that the drawings were to become much much more popular than the actual screenshots, that would be hilarious and defeating the purpose of DF!!!! lol
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12 ekrammarkee
March 7, 2013 at 1:15 AM
Thanks Javabeans & Girlfriday for running this awesome site, I just had to get that little rant out because I have some strong feelings lol.
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skelly
March 7, 2013 at 7:33 AM
Same here. I am going to compose a note to Dramafever, in my best business-ese, describing in great detail how they are busy shooting themselves in the foot by following a business model instead of customers' wishes. I could call them names, but Twitter's a fine place for that.
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13 chane
March 7, 2013 at 1:17 AM
Seriously Dramafever? Eh, you're not a great site anyway.
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bloomy
March 7, 2013 at 5:23 AM
yes agree. i never visit dramafever. i'm enjoying the k-drama through dramabeans.
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Auntiemame
March 7, 2013 at 9:41 AM
"i never visit dramafever."
And, that is the exact reason why DF is doing all of this. In the name of business, they will kill off all competing sites so that DF is the only option to watch, read or talk about the dramas.
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14 bs
March 7, 2013 at 1:17 AM
what. lol. so if i watch l7cs on other sites and screencapped them, will i be sued?
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15 chickenwing
March 7, 2013 at 1:19 AM
Big hugs for javabeans and girlfriday :) not much to miss anyway since I don't find that show any interesting. I must say thanks to you girls Dramafever got some traffic - I never knew it existed and had to google it
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16 jigglybelly
March 7, 2013 at 1:20 AM
crap!
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17 Airyn
March 7, 2013 at 1:21 AM
Shouldn't it be MBC who will complain (if ever?)
Argh.
But thank you for still deciding to continue the recaps!
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ekrammarkee
March 7, 2013 at 1:24 AM
EXACTLY! Yet dramafever thinks it can wave it's hypothetical dick around, claiming to ~own~ the screen caps from a shitty drama. Sit down please.
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Kakashi
March 7, 2013 at 2:01 AM
they have the rights for the US (as has viki does now) - it's the licensing system behind it that is the problem. Dramafever has "the right" (legally speaking) to go against everybody that uses any digital content from "their" shows. That includes images. Just very sad that they actually act on that "right".
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Kakashi
March 7, 2013 at 2:07 AM
oh, sorry, wrong: viki is still only licensed to Indonesia and Malaysia
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Quaggy
March 7, 2013 at 4:36 AM
Hulu has the rights, too.
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Kakashi
March 7, 2013 at 5:11 AM
DF and Hulu have a cooperation going. That's why Hulu has a lot of DF content. But as far as I know, Hulu does not own DF (as someone suggests below)
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kdramapedia
March 7, 2013 at 5:42 AM
it's technically a partnership, and has been since 2010. Their partnership means they're sharing money. If you sign up for dramafever premium, it takes you to a sign up page like hulu's. They advertise on each other's sites, so if you're helping one, you're helping the other.
so, no, they don't own each other, and I said below I could be mistaken, but boycotting dramafever but then watching dramafever shows on hulu defeats the purpose of a boycott.
Quaggy
March 7, 2013 at 5:56 AM
Oh, that's good to know. I was basing my assumption after watching Arang and the Magistrate which I could have sworn had a MBC America logo in the corner. I has assumed Hulu made a separate deal with that particular channel that way. But if everybody is in bed together, that's a completely different story. Netflix is apparently out too for the same reason. And if it's playing ball with Hulu and Netflix, I guess that's why DramaFever is feeling powerful enough to start throwing its weight around.
Kakashi
March 7, 2013 at 7:10 AM
... though I am not sure whether digital content from "their" shows only applies to pictures taken from THEIR site or whether they can go beyond that (which would be more than absurd). In the first case, you would only have to prove that you screencap from another service. Not sure whether the DMCA allows for such subtleties, though.
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Llamaesque
March 7, 2013 at 10:04 AM
But if you're in the US and streaming from another service, you're breaking the law—Drama Fever must have exclusive rights to air this show, which is why Viki isn't carrying it in the US. (And presumably why it received such a big marketing push before the first episode aired, what with the full-page banner thing.)
Truly, I bet all these screen grabs come from downloaded versions of the files =X
I don't think Drama Fever can have any sort of "copyright" for the images themselves—that would be held by the production company or network. They must just have rebroadcast rights.
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maakopla
March 7, 2013 at 2:53 AM
The problem here is that only citizens from USA and Canada can actually watch stuff on DF! Which means they are like claiming everything theirs and taking the right of freedom of people who can't use their site. Basically telling them to go fuck themselves. Well, can't help it since we are effin suckers for not living in America. This is the main reason why I gag every time something gets licensed there. Fuckers.
This is really bitchy and childish since it's about screencaps. I mean, are there no limits of going too far? I could understand if there was some drama hosted here, not that I would accept it but I would understand. Now I don't even understand what the heck is going on. I won't be surprised if they start attacking sites like mydramalist. com and those next.
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shiki
March 7, 2013 at 3:21 AM
I made a pic for this, I'll tweet it to you, javabeans!
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LingLing
March 7, 2013 at 6:14 AM
I live in the USA, but I boycott Dramafever. Hate that site so much. They tried to take down kshownow just a few months back. Dramafever is too power and money hungry. And I hate all the ads they have when watching a drama, so I just like fuck this, not going to deal with you money sucker... I wish someone can like buy out Dramafever and turn it to better or someone can like hack their server and take them down. -___-
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sisterjune
March 7, 2013 at 7:54 AM
what the HELL? kshownow is mostly variety shows which DF doesnt even sub or host (let alone have rights to). but I mean ksn can just remove the dramas that DF has rights to. why DF thinks they can shut a whole site down is beyond me. I hope ksn didnt fall for that shit.
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aisuzieya
March 9, 2013 at 3:29 AM
they really did TRY to take KShownow? how dare they? this is the last straw to me. I am going all out on this boycott.
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rhumball
March 8, 2013 at 10:26 AM
Exactly!! If the complaint came from MBC, I'd probably, ya ok.. you produced it. Omo.. this DramaFever? When they were just started, barely had anything on it, who promoted them?? Dramabeans did! What an ungrateful bastardooo. I just sent email to them too, that I will NOT visit their website unless there's no other way.
They just got this whatever licence, and now trying to monopolize? This seems to be the trend they're going at, and I will NOT support it. Imagine if they have distribution licence for ALL of the hot kdramas??? What will happen to our other beloved websites?
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18 hallyuholicmom
March 7, 2013 at 1:21 AM
LOL! delayed reaction for the photo used! brilliant javebeans...
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19 Mystisith
March 7, 2013 at 1:21 AM
-SPEECHLESS- ?????????????????????!!!!!
Talk of a bad news! I checked my calendar: Not April's fool yet.
Why that show? Why Dramafever?
I admire your integrity. Wanting to finish recapping this series... I don't think this drama even deserves the attention of anyone, really.
A WTF drama, a WTFF situation. I say a WTFFF recap is all what those troublemakers deserve!
We know all the work done on this site in order to spread the love for K dramas.
IF it's really Dramafever who's responsible for the plaint, I'm all for retaliation: Take out their ad from dramabeans. My loyalty is for you ladies!
Again, speechless.
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Ahsoka
March 7, 2013 at 1:30 AM
It was because of db's link that I even found df in the first place...
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mia
March 7, 2013 at 1:33 AM
Ditto here.. Sheesh.
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Bengbeng
March 7, 2013 at 1:43 AM
same here. DF earned a lot from DB site
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Memee
March 7, 2013 at 1:46 AM
Same here!!
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dramabird
March 7, 2013 at 2:09 AM
Same here.
Wrote them to express my concern... since i currently have a paid membership. Not so sure about renewing it if they can't let everyone play nicely in the k-drama sandbox.
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Mystisith
March 7, 2013 at 1:50 AM
After thinking a bit: It's true than in the comments for the last recaps, people said "I'm dropping it but I'll stick to your recaps". Do they really think than their number of views will rise if DB stops recapping? Maybe for 0.01% of the readers. Crap is crap, period. Just buy the rights for good dramas and viewers will stay, dramafever. ><
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eleanor
March 7, 2013 at 2:15 AM
I don't even know. I got out of a DF habit because it wouldn't work for me. It does now, but I am not so attached anymore anyway. This just makes me want to avoid them on principle now. I just don't get it. I think you make a really good point about they should just pick good dramas to be all "exclusive" on, but even then, I am like, meh.
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Shae
March 7, 2013 at 2:12 AM
Puleese...most of their subs are wrong anyway. Viki is quicker and beats them hands down on accuracy and tone,..(and I don't even speak Korean, just developed an ear from watching/addicted to dramas for two years...Its Netflix money that may be backing them now...Vampire Prosecutor comes up with the DF tag when played from Netflix...And who wants to watch Iris 2 anyway...I didnt watch long enough for Lee Joon to make it on screen...Like snore...LOL
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sisterjune
March 7, 2013 at 7:58 AM
right? some of DF subs are just off. and I'm not fluent by a long shot, so if even I am seeing an issue then we have a problem here. like its not even that their subs are wrong per se so much as just the translation is odd and they try to translate things that dont translate over and it makes things way awkward. and like, they paraphrase alot. as in they take the meaning and retool it so the meaning is similar but not close to whats actually being said. sometimes that is ok when things are really difficult to translate but other times it just makes it MORE confusing and obscures the actual meaning/intent. ugh -_-
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sisterjune
March 7, 2013 at 8:01 AM
actually I've noticed Netflix often uses Viki's subs lol. cause its the exact same translation as what I saw on viki. netflix u think u slick? I enjoy watching dramas on netflix tho. I have a subscription so why not? altho I mostly watch kmovies and american sitcoms on there. (also indie films that didnt play in my local theaters but i wanted to see)
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Auntiemame
March 7, 2013 at 9:55 AM
I believe Viki and Netflix also have an agreement to show some Viki dramas. Just like how DF has the agreement with Hulu.
And, they even have agreements to show some dramas on Youtube. I don't know if they show all the episodes or just enough episodes to bait the viewer into going to their website.
(Everyone probably has agreements with everybody else.)
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Debbie
March 7, 2013 at 4:35 AM
Speak for yourself and maybe others who don't like this drama. However, there are those who do, flaws and all, and they (obviously) have their reasons why. And no, we are not air-headed people either or people who just like fluff. This "I don’t think this drama even deserves the attention of anyone, really" is extreme. I understand that it is your opinion and that you are entitled to it and I (strongly) disagree with it.
I, for one am glad that 7L is still being recapped on DB, and I find the show and the recaps funny, and romantic at times. From the (few) comments (here) I have read on the recaps' pages and the (many) comments I have read on other sites and group pages, I have come to find out that I am not the only one who feels that way. And how we feel matters as well.
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Mystisith
March 7, 2013 at 5:20 AM
Wait a minute. I never said than DB SHOULD stop the recaps of that show: I read them too. It's just than it wouldn't be a big loss if that was the case cause yes, I think than this drama is a failure (just look at the decreasing number of comments after each recap and at the comments of the recapper herself). If some viewers like it and want to keep reading the recaps here, I have nothing against that.
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lemondoodle
March 7, 2013 at 10:42 AM
I honestly think it has more to do with what will happen in the future. I don't give a crap about 7th Level. It's a terrible drama for the most part. But DF isn't going to stop with this drama or with just DB. They've been more and more greedy lately with dramas (MBC dramas especially for some reason) so I'm going to guess DB might think twice about recapping dramas DF "owns". DF in its infinite wisdom does more to hurt drama popularity with ifans than to help it. Delayed subs and now taking down free publicity. Not sure who is running things over there, but they are just stupid.
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Debbie
March 28, 2013 at 7:21 PM
This however "I don’t think this drama even deserves the attention of anyone, really," came across as arrogant. I don't think it is your place to decide what dramas get the attention of anyone. It might be your opinion yes, and I respect that, however, I also think that 7L does deserve the attention of those who like it, flaws and all. That is the beauty of dramas, that there is variety in the genres and that people are free to like/love a drama for whatever reasons.
I used to think the way you do (that some dramas don't deserve anyone's attention) however, I have come to find out that different people will like different dramas for different reasons, even reasons I do not understand, and I have come to respect that. Failure or not, some people do like this drama, as proven by the number of commenters on Soompi. DB is not the only place to gauge how popular or well liked a drama is, FYI.
Some dramas have had very few comments here (hello
Jeon Woo-chi), even less than 7L. I am not sure that was whether because people liked it less or because people could not find the subs on time and thus gave up on the drama. It does not mean that it was not a quality drama that people enjoyed (for whatever reasons). And I believe it might have done fairly well in Korea.
Your comment just came across as you deciding whether 7L is worth watching or not, and I think it is. JW showed that he can do comedy well and I had never seen him in such a role. I was glad to discover that side of him. The rest of the cast was good as well and they supported him well. It is sad that the script has not always been consistent, however, considering the shooting conditions in the SK entertainment industry, and other challenges affecting the making and producing of Kdramas, it does not seem easy to have quality dramas all the way through, from beginning to end. The actors/actresses are doing the best with what they have. It is a pity that the writer of 7L is also the writer of the movie with the same title.
I personally learned a lot watching this drama. I learned some facts about Korean culture I didn't know and/or was not clear about, I learned about a Korean dialect, I found many of the scenes funny and/or romantic, etc... To me, watching this drama has not been a waste of my time. And I don't say that to be spiteful. I really mean it, I feel that way.
I meant to reply a lot sooner, however real life took over. You might not read this, and I just wanted to post my response.
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20 maiathebee
March 7, 2013 at 1:29 AM
I have an account on Dramafever and I'm sending them an email right now, saying I how upset I am.
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OLI
March 7, 2013 at 2:54 AM
This is a good move. I think all of us who have Dramafever account should send a complaint to them.
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jomo143
March 7, 2013 at 5:19 AM
Will, do, too.
They "allowed" DB to send traffic to them for all those years, and now are being stupid jerks.
If it is L7CS now, what is next? Bastards.
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sally_b
March 7, 2013 at 6:19 AM
I don't subscribe...but I just fired off a note to them as well. (dimwits)
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ajewell
March 7, 2013 at 6:22 AM
I did this too. It's just crazy.
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21 Elizabeth Bennet
March 7, 2013 at 1:30 AM
This is puzzling since actually one of the reasons I watch some of the dramas is because I like the recaps here. Don't they realise it is a form of advertising? Yes I admit staying away from some dramas because I felt that I wouldn't like them after reading the recaps but seriously the number doesn't even compare.
Please do not let this discourage you, and stick figures are a great idea and combined with your great writing (which is what makes your recaps better than any other site) they will make good entertainment out of a bad drama.
(a guy does this for crappy Indian films and they are a hoot - http://www.thevigilidiot.com/)
Is Dramafever getting desperate? Did they over pay for this drama and try to limit the damage (if so someone should sit them down and explain)? This is wrong.
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Ankita
March 7, 2013 at 1:42 AM
I'm usually not the kind to see the silver lining but I would love to see a vigil-idiot-ized version of Level 7!!
This may well be the best thing that's happened on/to dramabeans!
(FYI - Vigil Idiot has now moved to http://mumbaiboss.com)
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22 kenni
March 7, 2013 at 1:30 AM
WTF.... NOOOOOOOOOOO.......... !!!
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23 Anon
March 7, 2013 at 1:31 AM
You know they say high fevers destroys your brain. Didn't know it happens to blogs too.
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24 Missy
March 7, 2013 at 1:34 AM
I'm never watching stuff on dramafever again! They're being stingy!
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25 pigtookie
March 7, 2013 at 1:38 AM
LOL that sad face representing L7CS down there in the footer of the page.
I don't understand. If the subject of the notice is aimed at the screencaps specifically... I bet there are screencaps of it circulating the internet anyhow in the international community, from fansites to drama discussion forums.
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26 TS
March 7, 2013 at 1:39 AM
Okay, I can try hand-drawn images for you. Although now I'll have to watch the show and I'm already behind on TWTWB...
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27 faza
March 7, 2013 at 1:40 AM
dramafever is such a bully.
Keep recapping guys, I'll still read them because you guys write really, really well. <333
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28 eleanor
March 7, 2013 at 1:42 AM
Um...I think that DramaFever has just made probably one of it's biggest marketing errors in the history of drama watching. They vastly, vastly underestimate the popularity of the amazing DramaBeans website, and how this will actually drive people away from watching on DF. Seriously. It's not like they are the only place in the world that shows dramas, and all the international fans who can't even watch on DF who reply on recaps when there are no available subs in their countries, ack...I can't even finish this sentence I am so mad! And all this exclusivity nonsense. I thought that DF has been around long enough to know that going the whole exclusive route is only going to encourage people to find easier ways to watch. It's why cable TV is dying. Aigoo. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
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Kakashi
March 7, 2013 at 2:12 AM
Well, I remember last years crack-down (related to Answer Me, 1997) all too well, because it really scared me. Being European, I was not able to access DramaFever before (I know am) and had to use other sites and tricks to get my drama-fix. They went for all the subtitle sites and blogs and streaming platforms that they could get their hands on. viciously.
To be frank, I was expecting this. I don't know much about DF and their organization but it seems to me that somebody "new" (?) on the top floor or in the legal "department" made the decision (a while ago) to enforce their (sometimes exclusive) distribution rights. Whoever made that decision most likely sees this from a purely legal (and very shortsighted) perspective. And, as said above, legally, they are "in the right". It's the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act that is the real problem.
The only way to show "them" (in this case, DF) that such behavior is not appreciated is to not use their services anymore. If people continue using them (as they are) or if they even have increasing numbers, they will certainly not stop cracking down on blogs and other sites that use whatever material from "their" shows. Just saying.
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eleanor
March 7, 2013 at 2:19 AM
Haha. I like your way of thinking kakashi. Boycott DF? Is there any way we could send a petition to Korean broadcasting companies to let them know we don't want DF to get exclusive rights on dramas? I really don't get why people aren't moving with the times and (a) revising copyright law and (b) figuring out that by alienating viewers by getting all "exclusive" actually encourages piracy and drives people to use alternate sources for their entertainment fix?
Whoever made this decision has certainly lost a large percentage of it's viewership, that's for sure.
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Kakashi
March 7, 2013 at 2:33 AM
as just said on Twitter, don't count on a revision of the DMCA to be "better". SOPA/PIPA were only the beginning. There's going to be more attempts to regulate and punish "piracy" in any form in the future. Using somebody's images and or content is considered "Piracy". There are HUGE corporate interests behind this. Sure, it's the WRONG way and it is not going to stop "piracy", but states (especially the US, but many others as well) will still try to up the stakes as much as they can. If "consumers" don't act up and make very clear what we accept and what we don't accept (like in the cases of SOPA/PIPA), we will get harsher laws in the future.
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maakopla
March 7, 2013 at 2:57 AM
I know what you mean, life is going to suck even more than it does now...
And this comes from America the motherland of liberty? They are just greedy bastards.
skelly
March 7, 2013 at 11:23 AM
Sorry, but America the motherland of liberty is just another socialist state. According to surveys, I believe Hong Kong is now considered one of the most free places to live and do business, oddly enough.
bd
March 7, 2013 at 10:22 PM
@skelly
How is a company trying to enforce rights to internet broadcasts that it PAID for being "socialist"?
If anything - that pure capitalism.
Elina
March 7, 2013 at 3:39 AM
I'm in for a boycott.
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Quaggy
March 7, 2013 at 4:11 AM
What's really surprising about all of this is that they DID know how popular DramaBeans was when they were first starting out, because they offered a membership promotion for any interested Beanies. You can't tell me that tapping into an already well-established Korean drama community didn't help them get their start! And now they are basically turning around and bite the hand that feeds it. I won't ever go to DramaFever again. I don't need when there are so many other legal sources of getting my drama fix.
For those who are serious about boycotting DramaFever in the US, in addition to viki.com you can continue to watch Level 7 on Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/level-7-civil-servant (A whole lot of other k-dramas are on Hulu too. I was actually quite impressed with their selection.)
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Kakashi
March 7, 2013 at 4:32 AM
It was even worse when they turned around and bit those whom they got some of their subs from last year. For free, at that. I.e.: steal from somebody, make money out of their work, then turn around and punish them.
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Quaggy
March 7, 2013 at 4:42 AM
OMG! Are you kidding me?!! So they finish going after their suppliers, now they are going after their customer base. What screwed up business model is that?
kdramapedia
March 7, 2013 at 4:39 AM
I believe hulu now owns dramafever if I'm not mistaken.
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kdramapedia
March 7, 2013 at 5:45 AM
as someone pointed out, it's technically a partnership, but if you watch dramafever shows on hulu, that defeats the purpose of a boycott, and dramafever gets the support anyway. so if you're boycotting kdramas on dramafever, boycott them on hulu, too.
Llamaesque
March 7, 2013 at 10:11 AM
Not all Kdramas on Hulu are Dramafever's—at least one Korean network puts their own material there. (Which is why some non-Dramafever shows are available on Hulu, including The Thousandth Man.)
Unfortunately, Hulu's Level 7 Civil Servant *is* Dramafever's—it's got a little "Dramafever" banner on the graphic.
pinny
March 7, 2013 at 6:15 AM
DF kept sending me emails a while ago saying that they were now available in my country and asking me to join but because of that debacle last year with reply 1997 I just hit that good ol' delete button.
But I'm getting pretty scared right now. This SUCKS! So I'm just wondering, where can I send my hate mail?
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Kakashi
March 7, 2013 at 6:51 AM
if you have a twitter account, you can tweet them at @dramafever. many of us have been voicing our concern for the past few hours
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Aigoo
March 7, 2013 at 9:06 AM
I agree! After I realized that they were responsible for shutting down mysoju (and others I think!) I stopped watching anything on DF!
Now I've totally boycotted them and refuse to watch anything on their site. I think that decreasing their viewer numbers would be the best way to enforce the fact that their behaviour increases resentment towards them rather than encouraging people to view dramas on their site.
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couchpotato_md
March 8, 2013 at 5:28 AM
totally agree with you
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29 Hyeon Ae
March 7, 2013 at 1:44 AM
Man... I think now you should delete all drama-whatever-fever links you got here...
They're sucks! Lots of other blog had been shut down because of df, even if they don't upload or had the df's shows/dramas... Don't know why... And now this?? The picture becomes a big problem for them??? what the $*#^??!!! *sigh*
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30 bs
March 7, 2013 at 1:45 AM
a sign for db to stop recapping this drama. lol
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31 christy
March 7, 2013 at 1:46 AM
Ironic since didn't DB used to do advertisement from DF? I once admired DF for bringing dramas to foreign audiences, but come on, really now? What a shame.
And I remember those humble beginnings back when DF was just a bare boned website trying to get its feet off the ground. Crazy how much things changed. I guess once you go corporate, you never go back.
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shukmeister
March 7, 2013 at 8:23 AM
Mystisith pointed out that DF has a link on their own L7CS site to DB's recaps...
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kdramapedia
March 7, 2013 at 9:41 AM
really? REALLY? *sigh*
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Llamaesque
March 7, 2013 at 10:14 AM
In fact, this very announcement post is on Drama Fever's L7CS site. Which is like...Kafkaesque in its insanity. Here's a screengrab.
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32 RB
March 7, 2013 at 1:46 AM
Wow, that's unfortunate. :(
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33 dobabado
March 7, 2013 at 1:48 AM
How the hell can you legally own screecaps?
Viki all the way, baby.
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34 Shelena Mia
March 7, 2013 at 1:52 AM
This is just craziness… How is that possible?
Seriously, when we’ll get some good news again? 1N2D is changing, there are no Joo Won’s photos any more… *cries*...
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35 mira
March 7, 2013 at 1:54 AM
Wtf i m speechless..
Joo won ahhh i will miss your pics...
But i will enjoy your recaps and comments and writting no matter what...javabeans and girlfriday fighting!!!
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36 vans
March 7, 2013 at 2:03 AM
Ma, DF sucks!! I don't even want to visit that web anymore. pffft who do those guys think they are, suddenly claim that they have the right to own the screenshot???
Big hug for JB and GF, you know we love you, right?
<3
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37 dongsaeng killer
March 7, 2013 at 2:06 AM
WTF DF, WTF. Gaksital and I will never forgive you or go to your site again. Cancelling my account. There are free services like the very awesome Viki where I can get my kdrama fix.
Dear Javabeans, please take the site off your linky tab. what's good for the goose is good for the gander. And let me agree with everyone above who said your site is awesome! You are truly appreciated. Fighting!!! :)
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38 Justme
March 7, 2013 at 2:06 AM
Dramafever? I thought MBC is the owner of the show?
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39 kfangurl
March 7, 2013 at 2:06 AM
Woah. This must be the craziest thing I've heard. Seriously?! It's nuts. How can they own the rights to screencaps? They don't even make the show, they're just licensed to show it. And they don't even show it worldwide.
If the people who MAKE the show don't mind, and even encourage the use of screencaps, why should they kick up a fuss about it?! I just don't get it. >.<
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Kakashi
March 7, 2013 at 2:39 AM
oh well ... sadly, that's not how the law works. If DF gets the right from the Korean Broadcaster, they have the exclusive right in the US for all the content. And in the US, they have the DMCA (see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Millennium_Copyright_Act). If somebody uses any type of content from one of "their" shows, they can go against them. So, this has nothing to do with the Korean Broadcasters anymore. They sold the rights to somebody else (for money).
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ladida
March 7, 2013 at 10:28 AM
"If somebody uses any type of content from one of “their” shows, they can go against them"
Does that also include quotes from the shows and stuf???? >:[
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40 alex
March 7, 2013 at 2:07 AM
Oh df y so serious????? I'll rather watch in from viki instead of watching it from your site.. :(
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41 dasotong
March 7, 2013 at 2:18 AM
Seriously! DF is so irritating, if I'm not wrong, DF has caused many other drama websites to close down as they kept filing complaints against those website.
People like me who cannot access DF & Viki from our countries are left with very few choice to watch Kdramas these days!
RAGE!! D:<
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42 ZOBear
March 7, 2013 at 2:20 AM
I'm not really a fan of this drama, but it's still messed up what dramafever is doing. how are you going to copyright freaking screen shots of a drama? also its not like you guys are using them for profit or sale. it makes no sense.
but then again nothing makes sense to me today. it's just a crappy day all around.
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43 Nooni
March 7, 2013 at 2:22 AM
DF is shiit xD
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44 amberscube
March 7, 2013 at 2:26 AM
DF sucks big time... And your subs are even the worst.
That's why im with Viki all the way.
More power Dramebeans.
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girlatsea
March 7, 2013 at 10:18 AM
Their subs are horrible (which I don't understand aince they're paying people for those) that's why I usually opt for Viki as well.
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45 anna
March 7, 2013 at 2:27 AM
I hope you guys get it worked out! Rooting for DB! You guys have been a solace in my life with such awesome recaps. FIGHTING!
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46 jooleaf
March 7, 2013 at 2:32 AM
Someone please enlighten me - I'm failing to make the connection between Dramafever and Level 7 Civil Servant.
From what I can gather, Dramafever is merely a distributor of various shows across the globe, not just ones that are Korean. The true ownership and rights of the drama in question should, by all means, belong to:
1. Apple Pictures/Curtain Call (the production company) and
2. MBC (the broadcasting company).
If anything, Dramafever should have been the one to request rights from the groups listed above so that they could even stream them online. In short, Dramafever should in no way possess the privilege to issue anyone a cease-and-desist. The ONLY condition by which that would be false is if the screenshots were obtained via streaming the show through Dramafever, since it's hosted on their site.
If that's not the case and you really feel as though you were wronged, you could potentially do more research about this sort of sticky situation - how you could protect yourself from stupid accusations. Because that's what they're doing; they're intimidating you and making threats using flowery, legal vocabulary just because they think they can. It might be troublesome to look into some legal advice on your own for the sake of just one (mediocre) drama, but there's no telling that if it's happened once, it can happen again.
I truly appreciate and enjoy reading your recaps for various dramas every week, and hope that Dramafever (or anyone else, for that matter) learns to get off their high horse and stop picking on people over some screenshots.
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Kakashi
March 7, 2013 at 2:40 AM
see my comment 39.1 above for an explanation to your questions. It's not where you get the screenshots from - it's where you're showing them (in the US, on a webserver hosted in the US)
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cherkell
March 7, 2013 at 7:25 AM
I've been doing some research for the past few hours to see if those dickweeds (so mad I can't even type out the name right now) even have a leg to stand on by claiming they have the 'right' to DMCA-paper anyone who 'violates' their licensing agreement with L7CS's producers and MBC. The only way the LLC that is serving such take-down notices can justify such an action is if the ENTIRE RIGHTS PACKAGE was sold to DF (including images and film). But no proper production company in their right minds would completely sign their lives away, because it then diminishes any possibility of overseas distribution and the ability to make big bucks in the future off DVD and picture book sales (Joo Won = $$$$$, especially in Japan and China) because a US company usurps those rights before the ink is dry on such a distribution deal.
I'm sure the licensing agreement with these dickweeds is high and tight and provides an 'out' for situations such as this, but you must remember that the production company and MBC themselves do not know what's going on because these DMCA notices are farmed out to a middleman company who just takes a cursory glance at websites, and then depending on whether or not they got laid last night, bombs the take-down crap out of them. Because Dramabeans is getting quite a bit of traffic due to the proliferation of K-drama viewing, of course they're going to be a target. And who's gonna be next? Little random recappers such as you and me.
But yes, please seek counsel regarding this. Working in the Silicon Valley legal world, I have names if you need them. Also contact the Electronic Frontier Foundation (eff.org) for additional helpful information.
THE REVOLUTION IS NOW. #DramafeverSucks
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Kakashi
March 7, 2013 at 7:55 AM
Yay! I always knew being friends with a lawyer would pay off one day :)
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bluemoon
March 7, 2013 at 8:29 AM
You are awesome.
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Aigoo
March 7, 2013 at 9:13 AM
Woah! That was one awesome post!! I'm totally stoked to join a revolution now!! I'm going out to buy a pitchfork!!
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ladida
March 7, 2013 at 10:30 AM
Cherkell you're awesome.
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jooleaf
March 7, 2013 at 11:34 AM
"But no proper production company in their right minds would completely sign their lives away, because it then diminishes any possibility of overseas distribution and the ability to make big bucks in the future off DVD and picture book sales..."
Precisely my point. I don't believe Dramafever has the right to claim 100% ownership of anything. For them to have threatened Dramabeans out of the blue, especially regarding one show, seemed groundless to me. Kakashi's comment about how "they sold the rights to somebody else" didn't sit well with me because there is no way a company would completely agree to losing out on future sales and whatnot. However, I now understand that it's possible for these middlemen groups to issue ultimatums because they simply have the ability to. The only question is if they actually should be doing so or not. It just goes to show that the most unfortunate things can happen when we least expect them - and we should be ready to take action.
Bottom line is this: I certainly agree that Dramabeans should look into sitting down with an actual lawyer and getting some legal advice concerning this. As I've said before, it's not really about Level 7 Civil Servant - it's about how Dramabeans was targeted for one drama, and how they can be targeted again unless they seek recourse.
cherkell, thank you for your information.
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Mama J
March 7, 2013 at 12:46 PM
so as far as I know, the WonderGirls of KDrama don't make any money off this site - maybe some hosting expenses are covered, etc - but for themselves, I don't think so.
If they DID want to hire a lawyer to look into this, would we be willing to pony up for that to help? I'd be more than happy to donate money for the cause!
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aisuzieya
March 9, 2013 at 3:46 AM
definitely! i cant get Vikii and DF here and that DF made it harder for us because now its very hard to find subs and blogs. we have to do something. i'm doing all i can on social media and words of mouth.
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47 jasmin
March 7, 2013 at 2:37 AM
Stop supporting Dramafever! This is insane! They're not even doing great subs... the translations are messy.
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48 Enz
March 7, 2013 at 2:39 AM
So so bad.. I am like kakashi, worried that this might be the beginning of the end for those sites carrying kdramas. I've just started! I need my crack!! And we don't have drama fever here anyway.
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Kakashi
March 7, 2013 at 2:42 AM
hello enz! be glad you don't have DF.
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49 Geneva
March 7, 2013 at 2:45 AM
How should we submit our hand drawn stuff? Mwaha.
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Mystisith
March 7, 2013 at 2:58 AM
You have a contact link in the header to email your work. Please do! We need to have fun.
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Geneva
March 7, 2013 at 2:59 AM
I figured it was that but I wasn't sure, thanks ^^
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50 Melmax
March 7, 2013 at 2:50 AM
What da ef!!? DF did that to you? Umm, I remember before their britches got big that they even had you guys, ummm, spread the word that they were opening up their business...
JB & GF, and the rest of the DB crew, we love you!!! Yes, so you don't get in hot water, stick figures of Joo Won will have to do!!! What could the problem be? Do they want to open up their own recap website? I mean you are the best in referring us kdrama addicts to the different dramas out there!!! Love you galores!!!
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