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Finance And Economics
Manufacturing Industry
Entertainment And Media
Where Should the Fansub Group, Operating in the Gray Area, Go from Here?
The "Renren Yingshi Fansub Group" is a well-established fansub group in China, with roots tracing back to 2003 when it was founded by a Canadian Chinese student. Due to their numerous translated works and exceptional translation quality, they gradually became one of the most influential fansub groups in the country. However, recently, they have sparked attention on social media in a different light.
According to the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, the Shanghai police have cracked down on a case of infringing on the copyright of film and television works, involving the "Renren Yingshi Fansub Group" website with an amount exceeding 16 million yuan. Upon investigation, it was found that since 2018, the fansub group, without authorization from the copyright holders, downloaded source materials from overseas pirate forums for around 400 yuan per episode, hired people to translate and compress the files, and then uploaded them to the app server for public dissemination. They illegally profited through means such as charging website membership fees, advertising fees, and selling pirated movie and TV show content on external hard drives, accumulating over 8 million registered members and involving more than 16 million yuan in the case. (People's Daily)
Copyright protection is indeed crucial, but in the comment section of this news on Weibo, many express sadness for the fansub group. One user commented, "For a generation living within the 'Great Firewall,' if it weren't for fansub groups tirelessly working, you would likely have to spend all your leisure time watching domestic TV dramas. Under the high wall, they are the most influential and yet most underestimated group of young people." Many netizens drew parallels to the movie "Dying to Survive," while others expressed a desire for a legitimate, uncut, and rich source of movies and shows.
However, there are dissenting voices as well, stating that those arrested this time were the operators who deserved their punishment. They not only knowingly broke the law, exploiting lower-level translators through pirated resources to profit and aimed to dominate the market by suppressing other fansub groups. Most of the actual members responsible for creating subtitles have not been affected. These volunteer subtitle translators and teams will not disappear; they are simply waiting for a more suitable platform to continue contributing to cultural exchange.
Fansub groups, operating in the gray area outside the law, are composed mainly of students or working individuals who utilize their spare time out of interest to translate. Most of these activities are of a non-profit nature, driven by passion, with little to no income generated. In fact, leaders or members often have to personally fund the purchase of discs to obtain resources. Chinese law allows overseas film and TV works for non-commercial communication and learning purposes, hence most fansub groups include disclaimers like "This translation is for study and communication only. Please delete within 24 hours after downloading. The fansub group will not be held responsible for any commercial use." In a strictly regulated environment, fansub groups provide the general public with the opportunity to access outstanding foreign film and TV works that would otherwise be unseen.
The competition for copyright between various platforms, the editing and excessive charging for film and TV content lead audiences to prefer fansub groups' translated works. While most fans are willing to support legitimate content, many excellent works remain inaccessible due to various reasons, leaving consumers feeling powerless. Many netizens express, "If there were high-quality translations available through official channels, along with a comprehensive system of film and TV ratings instead of indiscriminate cuts, why should we go through the trouble of downloading pirated videos?" The conflict between copyright and audience demands still requires reconciliation.
