ON the surface, it was a righteous enforcement exercise. Good money was spent hiring top lawyers. The weight of the law was on their side.
But did local anime distributor Odex, now perceived as 'download enemy No 1', neglect a critical aspect of their action?
We're talking about public relations (PR). We're talking about being upfront and open - early. Could the public relations nightmare it now faces have been avoided with a bit more transparency?
Last week, the beleaguered company finally organised a press conference to set the record straight. It was reactive, rather than proactive.
After nearly a month, it finally refuted rife public speculation that it could make up to $15 million in payments from errant downloaders, and accusations that it was a heavy-handed bully which targeted teenagers in its crackdown.
The answers are now out in the open. But whether they will placate the Internet community is another question.
Before the press conference, Odex kept mum about how much it had received, what they intend to do with the money, and how many letters it had sent to those who allegedly downloaded anime illegally.
Now, it says an independent auditor will look over all the company's accounts on its collections and the costs of its enforcement to make sure they are above board. And, after deducting the enforcement costs, the remainder, if any, will go to charity.
Odex may have realised that it should have been more transparent to begin with, but its tardiness has cost it dearly.
The company's crackdown led to a public outcry, including death threats against director Stephen Sing, an anti-Odex T-shirt campaign, and an online flaming war.
Public relations veteran Rick Clements, head of Rick Clements and Associates, thinks Odex could have handled the matter better.
He said: "Regardless of the company's legal rights, it was never going to be easy for Odex to win public support.
"Freeloading is wrong and Odex could not be expected to sit back and do nothing, but it should have given more thought to the PR implications of its actions."
Mr Clements said he feels that Odex should have taken a gentler and more persuasive approach.
"This would give the offenders time to make a fair and more affordable settlement. No doubt this would have meant a longer PR campaign, but not as long as it will take Odex to repair its reputation," he said.
And it does seem like Odex is pulling out all the stops to make peace with the community.
In a 3 Sep announcement made on the company's online forum, director Stephen Sing said Odex would not send anymore letters to downloaders it has identified with a recent history of illegal downloading - provided they stop the downloading activities immediately.
He also expressed regret over a remark he made on an online forum - about having 'double-sixed' (a gaming term for hitting) downloaders, which resulted in him getting flamed.
REPAIRING BRIDGES
He wrote: "That is entirely my fault, and it has nothing to do with Odex as a whole. On hindsight, I admit that it was a flippant remark, and I could have been more sensitive about it."
Apologies aside, the question remains whether Odex's willingness to be forthcoming is enough to repair the bridges it has burned.
Managing director Peter Go said he is confident the company will win back the public's trust.
But Mr Clements says this will be an uphill task.
"Although Odex has offered explanations and clarifications, it is now a damage limitation exercise."
Mr Edward Choy takes pains to make sure his voice matches the movement of the characters' mouths. He often 'acts' the parts out. Picture: NG XINYAO
Odex voice actor: We take our work seriously
EVER so often, Mr Edward Choy, 28, bursts into loud sobs or peals of laughter.
But it's all in a day's work for the actor, who has voiced at least 15 anime characters for local anime distributor Odex.
Not all anime fans are moved or thrilled by his voice though, as some cite poor dubbing for why they turn to online options.
Undergraduate Charles Lazaroo, 22, for example, said Odex?s releases repeatedly feature similar voices: "Sometimes, it feels like the villains in different series sound the same."
Mr Choy, who has voiced Tohma, the lead character in the Fantastic Children series, told The New Paper he was surprised when he found out about the crackdown - because the teens were "so young".
He was also surprised at the reasons some fans gave for downloading the shows.
He stressed that a lot of effort goes into dubbing.
Voice actors must first watch the shows in Japanese, and do a script reading with the directors who may "want us to try different accents".
As for the recording, Mr Choy said: "For sad scenes, I cry sometimes. It can be very emotionally draining."
They also have to ensure each character's dialogue syncs with on-screen mouth movements. Mr Choy said: "Once, it took us more than 15 minutes to figure out just one line that would fit."
Mr Choy said other voice actors include students at international schools here and they are proud of their work. He also felt an affinity with anime creators.
"However you look at it, piracy and illegal downloading is theft."
He added: "I hope Singaporeans learn to respect intellectual property, and to take responsibility for their actions. The animators deserve better."
hanqing@sph.com.sg
The Saga:
16 May: 17 letters sent out to SingNet users accusing them of illegal downloading
2 Aug: (TNP report) 9-year-old among those who get letters asking for compensation
14 Aug: (ST report) Starhub must disclose names of illegal downloaders
15 Aug: (TNP report) Odex director flamed, threatened after appearing smug online
21 Aug: (TNP report) Anti-Odex campaigns online include T-shirts, YouTube video
