The End of Cheap CD's from cd-wow.hk?

Sleipnir

From Today's indo.

THE Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) is suing the website cdwow.com for alleged illegal supply of cheap CDs from the Far East to Irish consumers, using the so-called grey market, writes Aideen Sheehan.

They are taking the action under "Parallel Imports" legislation which forbids the distribution of goods into Europe without the permission of the copyright owner. The CDs are not pirated copies, but legitimate versions released in Hong Kong at much lower prices than those charged within Europe.

IRMA Director Dick Doyle said that they are suing cdwow.com and its founder Philip Robinson personally and the company is also being sued in the UK and Germany.

sceptre

Originally posted by Kananga
They are taking the action under "Parallel Imports" legislation which forbids the distribution of goods into Europe without the permission of the copyright owner. The CDs are not pirated copies, but legitimate versions released in Hong Kong at much lower prices than those charged within Europe.

Ah, I've been waiting for this to happen since Levis sued Tesco.

spongebob

IRMA have no Locus Standi, EMI or Sony or Miramax will have to take their own cases against CD-Wow. There is no sign of that happening yet.

IRMA are a bunch of windbags who just got a flea in their ears from the Music Shops (spit) since that Indo article yesterday. They were crap on Morning Ireland today.

M

kamobe

Are we really going to bend over and take it again!? We buy on-line to exercise our consumer rights because we're being SHAFTED by HMV. And our own government steps in and tries to put a stop to it??? That is seriously taking the p1ss .

jonhate

yes another kick to proverbial nuts.......

projectmayhem

they can't sue CDWOW because it's an online store and they're well within their rights to sell products from anywhere to anywhere. they don't come under the same rules and regulations as HMV etc., hence why we get cheap cd's from them.

krattapopov

yeah i dont see what right irma have to sue cdwow, surely as mentioned before if anyone is going to sue them for being competitive it would be the record companies...

Big al

even if they do sue, it will take nearly 2 years for it to come to court

Spacebutler™

This is such a pile of ****e. (i dont mean what you guys are saying : ) but for god sake (in a non religious way) besides cdwow.ie there is not a decent euro based retailer for games/cd's/dvd's, or maybe there is and im just ignorant. but anyway the likes of play.com its all great and they have a huge selection but buy the time ya go to the checkout argh! doubled in price nearly! cos' the dam pound is so strong. well im gona go now......and like one of you said it will take a few years to get to the courts. :eek:

Koyaanisqatsi

The war on cheap CD's/DVD's is so lost, but IRMA are still fighting the little battles, in much the same way as Leeds United and Wolves continue to try and score in the Premiership.
CDWOW is just the tip of the iceberg. I would predict that there will be hundreds of similar type companies from China and Russia selling their wares online in the near future.
You can buy current Cinema DVD titles in China for $0.70 each. Its only a matter of time before they start selling them on the web.

L5

you can buy them on the web already...go to <ZAP> click on media, enter username as "media", password as "vos". You have to order a minimu of 10 though. It looks dodgy, but they do arrive.


Typedef : No links to quasi-legal sites mate

silent

Originally posted by L5
you can buy them on the web already...go to <ZAP> click on media, enter username as "media", password as "vos". You have to order a minimu of 10 though. It looks dodgy, but they do arrive.

4$ for a pc game? 2$ for a dvd? is this stuff real or just burned black market copies? Are they real dvd9's and include all the extras, DTS sound (if available on retail) etc etc. how the hell can they be so cheap? I guess I will have to search arround for more info on this, hwoever if you can give me any, much appreciated

as far as my 2 cents considering IRMA - organizations like this and their idiocy (look at their arguments against cdwow) make we want to become a terrorist and shoot the people running that organization - they pollute this earth and do not deserve ...... whatever, I'm just mad right now

edit: after a bit of reading seems to me that that vietnamese store sells pirated stuff. cheap dvds/games=ok but pirated=big NO!

Typedef : No quoting links with quasi-legal overtures either.

gazzer

how come you are not able to get your own username on this site??.... looks well dodgy... its a pity cos the movies are really cheap so even if the reception on them was c**p you would not be losing much money.

GoneShootin

Holy crap !

Can someone verify that the vietnamonlinestore.com is legit ? Sounds too dodgey to be true !

Samson

Originally posted by silent
...or just burned black market copies?

Your powers of deduction are astounding Sherlock.

L5

I dont know if they're legit or not. A mate ordered from them, the quality on them all is really good. Im going to order a few. The worst that can happen is that i lose 30euro.

vibe666

they are selling movies that are still on in the cinema in the states on DVD, do you really think they're legit?

the PS2 games have a statement saying you need your PS2 chipped to play them.

a lot of pirating outfits are almost as well equipped as the original producers of the stuff they are copying.

i was in thailand in october and they were selling copies of almost anything you could imagine. cd's, dvd's, games, clothes, bags, watches, jewellery etc. and most of it was indistinguishable from the real thing. all the cd's and dvd's were pressed not burnt and most of the clothes and bags were of very high quality.

of course, being a fine upstanding *cough* member of *cough* society i didn't buy any of these dodgy items, and i certainly didn't come back 30kg overloaded.

anyway, i digress (again).

personally, i think we (anyone who likes the idea of being able to buy from CDWOW) should club together and all take IRMA to court for illegally allowing price fixing to go on in Ireland and racketeering within the music industry.

what do you think?

oneweb

Originally posted by vibe666
personally, i think we (anyone who likes the idea of being able to buy from CDWOW) should club together and all take IRMA to court for illegally allowing price fixing to go on in Ireland and racketeering within the music industry.

what do you think?

I think that's a great idea

vibe666

the hard part is finding a solicitor who would fight the case. it'd be like finding someone to sue the garda.

would definately get some attnetion if it happened though wouldn't it!

the government says we should all be taking responsibility for not getting ripped off and then not only allows it, but actively persues a company for offering people a good deal.

Koyaanisqatsi

Originally posted by silent
cheap dvds/games=ok but pirated=big NO!

Whaaaat??
If the quality is equals the legit editions, go for it, but I agree that $0.04 smells of a rat.
If a site appears selling DVD's for 50c to $1.00 my advice is go for it.
Think of yourself as Robin Hood stealing from the fat feckers in HMV and giving to the starving children in Shanghai.;)

MadsL

I dont know if they're legit or not. A mate ordered from them, the quality on them all is really good. Im going to order a few. The worst that can happen is that i lose 30euro.

Think of yourself as Robin Hood stealing from the fat feckers in HMV and giving to the starving children in Shanghai.

Wake up people. A chance to buy a cheap DVD/CD has you all blind to piracy.

Mainstream cinema by and large supports independent cinema, a classic example is Tom Cruise's support of young film-makers. If we all buy pirated goods then the only people who profit are illegal (possibly organised crime) outfits. Do you really think any of that money finds it's way back into film/music? So what else might your 30 squid be spent on? Other organised crime perhaps? Do you feel comfortable supporting the Triads?

I first heard about the DVD-9 brand name last year in Hong Kong after returning from Beijing with some laughable but slick-looking bootlegs that were of the New York camcorder-in-the-theater type sold on the streets of Manhattan for $5 a pop. DVD-9 refers to the approximately 9 gigabytes of data that the two layers on one side of a DVD contain. No DVD burner can make these things. They have to be stamped out by machines. With DVD-9, the entire package is so slick, you cannot look at it without wondering who, or what, is behind it. You immediately think of the Asian Triads—organized crime. If that's the power behind DVD-9, then some dangerous genius is running the operation, since the brand, which is synonymous with quality, now rules all of Asia. In fact, there is nothing to indicate that these disks are anything other than Hollywood products fronted by Hollywood to eke whatever it can from Asian markets, where buyers are used to paying nothing for the stuff. You have to wonder who is really behind all this.

http://www.pcmag.com/print_article/0,3048,a=107609,00.asp

So unless there is some 'Hollywood' conspiracy to 'front' this stuff (get real! - how the hell would you distribute the profits between all the studios involved) We are seeing some 'organisation' behind these cheap DVD's - hardly street kids. So Thanks, but no Thanks - I'll pay rental for my DVD's, and continue to go see 'decent' film where it should be seen - on screen. I may pay more for my films, but at least I'm not paying for the bullets to keep a kid in prostitution.

MadsL

L5 - I'm not convinced that posting a link to that DVD pirate site is appropriate to this forum. Nothing damages an arguement about pricing than dragging illegal schtuff into it...It also brings boards into an 'grey area' ... any boards lawyer comment?

silent

could not agree more madsl - cheap dvds are so easy to find nowadays (cd-wow, deepdiscountdvd, sometimes amazon has a good sale too etc) however supporting piracy is not only illegal but does nothing for the film you like.
with todays mainstream music I partially agree because it really is a cartel and they have made no advance in technology (yes, I think cd is low tech and want affordable dvd-audio) and still want to charge 15-20$ for it. But it's still piracy but something you can kind of understand as many people are pissed off with RIAA and their **** music.
However movies cost a lot more to produce and still they sell for the same price (or even as low as 6$ sometimes). Would you really want to show off your 300+ dvd collection and say that it's all pirated? And have no dvd-insert, no second disc with extras, maybe the dirrectors comendatary cut away or find out that the audio quality is a screener. Not to mention that 2002 and 03 have brought us many good movies

de5p0i1er

If its cheaper online then we should buy it online and if the IRMA got a problem with that then thats there problem I won't let HMV rip me off if there are better offers out there. If they close down cdwow they'll have to close off others as well like amazon & play. They can't kill the market for online trading just to help a few friends of theres get richer then they all ready are.

Ba$tard

Here is a job appl for the company 'Manual Labour'
http://www.webvieclam.com/viewjob.asp?i=121

I do have a problem buying from these Vietnamonline guys.

I dont have a problem buying from CDWOW or any other legitimate company willing offer goods and services to Ireland at competitive non-fixed prices.

Imports, you say? So, hope it will make the likes of HMV, Virgin, and all the other retailers realise they cant have it their own way. The Government isnt going to do anything about and as previously mentioned, THEY are the entity trying to push competitiveness withint Ireland..if they allow the IMRA to impose the sanction against CDWOW then its just goes to prove the decitfulness of the government towards fair trade & ecommerce, value for money, combating inflation, and lack of respect towards the Irish consumer.

J.

Typedef

You could apply for the job of banned for putting me in a bad mood if you like.

No dodgy links.

Any more reports of dodgy links and I'm going to ban people.

In fact.... I might just do that anyway.

Koyaanisqatsi

Originally posted by Typedef
You could apply for the job of banned for putting me in a bad mood if you like.

No dodgy links.

Any more reports of dodgy links and I'm going to ban people.

In fact.... I might just do that anyway.

But is it ok to talk about whats on offer generally without posting the web details?

Typedef

A: No plugging.
B: No go to website name, company name, if said company is dodgy (use of discression on part of poster is required).

C: After that, I'm not caring in the least.

Wolfie

Originally posted by MadsL
Wake up people. A chance to buy a cheap DVD/CD has you all blind to piracy.

So what else might your 30 squid be spent on? Other organised crime perhaps? Do you feel comfortable supporting the Triads?

Yeah I'd be comfortable with that, better in the Triads pockets than the governments and multi-million/billion dollar corporations who are responsible for worse crimes against the world than our friendly asian crime syndicates. Lesser of two evils... anyway, even if you dont agree with that, I still say, being honest, if I'm getting something cheaper then I dont care. Piracy is great. It gets me value for my hard earned cash.

Anyone else agree? Or too scared to say it? Why do you think so much blank CD media/burners (and recently DVD) are being sold everyday? Coz heaps of people are pirating! And it sure hasnt forced any movie companys/games publishers staff to starve to death.

Do you own the CDs for every MP3 you have?

This is my view, I'm entitled to have it... and non politcally-correct views sometimes dont go down well on boards so flame away chaps!

SteM

Originally posted by Wolfie
Yeah I'd be comfortable with that, better in the Triads pockets than the governments and multi-million/billion dollar corporations who are responsible for worse crimes against the world than our friendly asian crime syndicates. Lesser of two evils... anyway, even if you dont agree with that, I still say, being honest, if I'm getting something cheaper then I dont care. Piracy is great. It gets me value for my hard earned cash.

Anyone else agree? Or too scared to say it? Why do you think so much blank CD media/burners (and recently DVD) are being sold everyday? Coz heaps of people are pirating! And it sure hasnt forced any movie companys/games publishers staff to starve to death.

Do you own the CDs for every MP3 you have?

This is my view, I'm entitled to have it... and non politcally-correct views sometimes dont go down well on boards so flame away chaps!

Mmmm, very dodgy argument there Wolfie. I think there's a bit of a difference burning MP3s for yourself or a mate to handing money over to groups like the triads (or indeed the IRA) :rolleyes:

Are you comparing copying a CD/DVD for yourself to handing money over to gangsters?

Wolfie

Originally posted by SteM
Mmmm, very dodgy argument there Wolfie. I think there's a bit of a difference burning MP3s for yourself or a mate to handing money over to groups like the triads (or indeed the IRA) :rolleyes:

Are you comparing copying a CD/DVD for yourself to handing money over to gangsters?

Hmm.. no, not really, I dont mean it like that.. But the argument is against piracy in general, and the web-evangelists who preach that piracy is against the rules etc. I personally believe that a criminal organisation like the triads, in this case, are the robbers who wear masks.. the real robbers are the ones who dont wear masks... Mega rich corporations make their money by exploiting people, and perpetuate a third world on this planet. Without a third world, its harder for capitalists to make money.

We dont even know that triads are behind this little venture, it could be an entrepeneur from a poor country trying to better themselves? I wouldnt buy stuff from there because of the poor quality of some of the DVDs, not because of any moral problems with piracy.

MrB

I had a bad experience buying from cdwow once and so have been a bit wary of them but after reading about the IRMA trying to shut them down for the heinous crime of selling cds and dvds at a half reasonable price I might just be making a few more purchases there! My way of sticking that finger up

(besides the bad experience was partly my own fault)

Wolfie

Is it just my imagination, or did the CD-WOW prices go up when IOL started hosting the site??? Remember before it had anything to do with IOL the prices were a good bit cheaper....