BayTSP Issuing Cease & Desist Orders for Queen’s Blade Torrents to US Viewers (Updated Again)

AnimeNews has been able to confirm that the BayTSP organization is issuing C&D orders to American ISPs on behalf of Media Factory, the producer of the highly popular Queen’s Blade anime adaptation currently airing in Japan.

According to a board post and thread on AnimeNation Forums, the C&D order was sent by the ISP to the customer after the episode in question was downloaded via BitTorrent, suggesting that both BayTSP and Media Factory are actively monitoring torrent trackers for unauthorized sharing of the series.

The mere act of BayTSP issuing C&D orders directly to American ISPs is a new development, as the organization is based in Japan and typically works within that country.

As the C&Ds were issued on behalf of Media Factory by the Japanese organization and not by a domestic licensor, any speculation on a potential R1 license would be premature at this time.

AnimeNews will continue to follow this story as it develops.

Added companion thread to thread post

Update: AnimeNews has acquired the email in question that is being sent by BayTSP in regards to the downloading of Queen’s Blade off of BitTorrent. Hit Read More for its contents.

Dear Sir or Madam:

BayTSP, Inc. (“BayTSP”) swears under penalty of perjury that Media Factory, Inc. has authorized BayTSP to act as its non-exclusive agent for copyright infringement notification. BayTSP’s search of the protocol listed below has detected infringements of Media Factory, Inc. copyright interests on your IP addresses as detailed in the below report.

BayTSP has reasonable good faith belief that Media Factory, Inc., its agents, or the law does not authorize use of the material in the manner complained of in the below report. The information provided herein is accurate to the best of our knowledge. Therefore, this letter is an official notification to effect removal of the detected infringement listed in the below report. The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, the Universal Copyright Convention, as well as bilateral treaties with other countries allow for protection of client’s copyrighted work even beyond U.S. borders. The below documentation specifies the exact location of the infringement.

We hereby request that you immediately remove or block access to the infringing material, as specified in the copyright laws, and insure the user refrains from using or sharing with others Media Factory, Inc. materials in the future.

Further, we believe that the entire Internet community benefits when these matters are resolved cooperatively. We urge you to take immediate action to stop this infringing activity. We appreciate your efforts toward this common goal.

Please send us a prompt response indicating the actions you have taken to resolve this matter, making sure to reference the Notice ID number above in your response. mailto:mediafactory_p2p@copyright-compliance.com?subject=RE%3A%20Notice%20ID%3A%20335%2D52757%20First%20Notice%20of%20Unauthorized%20Use%20of%20Media%20Factory%2C%20Inc%2E%20Property

If you do not wish to reply by email, please use our Web Interface by clicking on the following link: http://webreply.baytsp.com/webreply/webreply.jsp?customerid=335&commhash=24306a043dc6320793727344bfdd2dd2

Note: If your email program has inserted line breaks into either the email or web links above, you can copy and paste the entire link into your email program, or favorite web browser, respectively.

Nothing in this letter shall serve as a waiver of any rights or remedies of Media Factory, Inc. with respect to the alleged infringement, all of which are expressly reserved. Should you need to contact me, I may be reached at the below address.

Regards,

Mark Ishikawa
Chief Executive Officer
BayTSP.com Inc. – as an Authorized Agent of Media Factory, Inc.
PO Box 1314 – Los Gatos, CA 95031
Phone: 408-341-2300 Fax: 408-341-2399
Mediafactory_p2p@copyright-compliance.com

Note: The information transmitted in this Notice is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, reproduction, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from all computers.