Wait, whats going on? Something about illegal downloading or something and being closed? *so confused* :?
What anime fans don't have illegal copies? Oh, and if they r not owned by a company or somwthing like that in America and you copy it, it's not illegal. The Japanese have differnt codes and stuff. It depened on the circumstance.
This isn't really about having illegal copies-- I'm sure most of us do. This is about broadcasting that fact.
As for whether it's illegal or not, it's really up for debate. If I recall correctly (and let me know if I'm wrong), in America it is illegal to distribute copyrighted material with a few exceptions, such a fair use (which only allows the use of a very small chunk). Since America is where many (most?) of us are downloading the episodes, it is technically illegal.
However, the Japanese companies are the aggrieved parties, and it may not be illegal to them, so they don't come after us.
And even if it IS illegal to them (I'm not really sure), they aren't likely to go after fansubbers because it helps them-- and the American companies that license, too.
The downloading of fansubs allows them to know in advance how popular a series would be in America. It's how they know what to license for TV, what to license for DVD release, etc. Many people who download(ed) episodes will still buy merchandise, even still buy the DVDs if they're the type who wants to support the anime industry. So the industry mostly leaves fansubbers alone.
But that doesn't technically make it legal.
/rant
