Narutofan

[Ero-Fan]

Originally posted by: chambers
tax rates in the UK are 20% for people who earn under £25,000 a year and 40% for people who earn over that. i think the 60% break is a lot higher thought, im not sure as ive never fallen into it yet

yeah basically while i would never ever donate to site where i can get shit for free elsewhere, this guy has a good business head, especially if hes 18, in a few years if hes making 300k a year profit then he coudl retire at 21!

He can't have a good buisness head. He's doing something illegal. That's like saying I could make millions selling drugs, and then I would have a good head for business. And he probably isn't paying taxes on any income he makes from that site also, since that would require stating what his site is selling, which is illegal copys of someone elses work. Not a thing he "distributes" is legal, and claiming income on an illegal enterprise would just make him all the more idiotic. He could be laundering the money, but that just compounds the crimes he is commiting. If he had a true buisness head, he would find something to do that was legal, if just barely, to make that kind of money. Doing something like this is the equivalent of selling bootlegged movies on the street. Both can be profitable, until you get caught, and get sued out the ass for all the money you made. As well as all the tax evasion/fraud he is commiting.

Edit: I know its an extreme example, but it just pisses me off every time I see someone get praise for illegal enterprises/ buisness practices.

[masamuneehs]

Ero, I highly question the effectiveness of any remarks expressing disdain for illegal enterprise/practices in an online forum whose heart is shadowed in dubious legality.

I, on the other hand, believe a good sense for business is essential for illegal practices. (a lack of ethics helps as well). There are alot of factors to take into consideration in any business, legal or illegal, and learning how to avoid the hazards that come with an illegal trade adds an extra element that i somewhat respect. Obviously the people who get caught have some flaw (carelessness, a certain vice, loose tongues and, most often, greed) but those that don't and are successful are either lucky or smart (at least smarter than the people they're taking advantage of)

If idiots are willing to donate to this guy's site, so be it. When they figure it out it'll be a (albeit costly) good learning experience. As for the fools that never figure it out, well, they really don't deserve the money and would probably have wasted it some other way.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending NarutoFan. Illegality aside, I despise people who make their way off of deceiving and taking advantage of others. It might be 'good business' but it's also rather sickening when your best skill is fucking others over. I consider leading them on to be a far-worse act than actually taking advantage of their stupid/naive nature.

[Ero-Fan]

Originally posted by: masamuneehs
Ero, I highly question the effectiveness of any remarks expressing disdain for illegal enterprise/practices in an online forum whose heart is shadowed in dubious legality.

I have no problem with the fact that what we are doing is technically illegal. And while it might not make much difference, we are taking advantage of a corporation that can afford to be taken advantage of. Basically, he's taking advantage of people who are ignorant. I see that as the big difference here. The way I see it, its the difference between stealing a 100 dollars from a billionaire and stealing that same amount from someone barely making ends meet. He's also shorting his country/fellow citizens money, because I doubt he pays taxes (unlike the rest of us) on the money he makes. So he's keeping money from being used to help the poor, sick, education expenses, etc. It might not seem like much, but it does make a difference.
Edit: If you or I were profiting off of something people give us for free, I would see that as morally reprehensible as well. Quite frankly, I hope he just gets caught for tax evasion and not copyright infringement, since it would keep eyes off the fansubs, but I doubt one could be found out without the other coming to light.

[kippykinkel]

i just went to check if narutofan was still up and i got hit by some freaky german pop-ups and shit. i hope i didnt get any spyware...

anyways, i was going over some of the older posts and assertnfailure's idea of target demographics and such match me perfectly. a little more than year ago, my friends told me about naruto, bittorrent and gotwoot. i could use bittorrent, but my dl speed was slow, so i tried searching for alternatives and actually came across narutofan. the moment i found out that i had to pay to dl, i thought screw it ill just figure out bittorrent. i wasnt a person who was willing to pay to watch anime. therefore, i would not have bought anime dvds nor would i have become interested in anime at all. however, after being exposed to free fansubs, i can honestly say that i am now addicted to anime and willing to buy dvds and mangas.
narutofan caters to people who are already willing to buy anime, which steals profit from the companies. yea, im pretty much just restating everything assertn said.