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MMD Model Ripping Discussion.

Original post this post is in response to:

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A LAWYER NOR DO I CLAIM TO BE. All things highlighted in BOLD refer to my opinion or important information.

What I do is rip assets from games and convert them into MMD for people to freely use. For distributing the ripped cameras from Project Diva I make sure to add the warning that Japanese users should not use these MMD cameras as it would be illegal for them in their country. I do not translate it Japanese as Japanese distributors are not expected to translate warnings into English (and don't most of the time), so I am not expected to translate it into Japanese. (Language barriers are also a problem).

When people rip from games they often add people who should be credited. Such as the person who ripped it, who made the tools to rip it, the original game and their creators who originally made the model and so on. In my opinion crediting the original source/creator of the model itself (I'm talking about the game it is from not the ripper) is necessary. I respectfully disagree with you on "not crediting are fine". Also the way you word that sentence confuses me. At first you say "not crediting are fine" but then you say "but on my opinion, no crediting is even worse than ripping []". So what is your take on it? Is it ok or not? [2] "The copyright holder simply needs to take appropriate action, and it is not something that outsiders who do not own the rights should be making a fuss about."

A lot of this comes down to different laws in different countries and how copyright is handled. In Japan, they take copyright very seriously and have very strict laws about it. However in other countries it can be more relaxed or less regulated. Most of the time in other countries there is less strict copyright law and it mostly comes down to opinion on what your morals and ethics are about it all depending on your country and culture.

I feel like most of the Japanese MMD community are ignorant or don't know that other countries have their own laws. [3] The Japanese try and hold the rest of the MMD community to Japanese standards in regard to model ripping and in terms of distribution rules with out any regard for other cultures. This is evident with how hard they make passwords, how they stop foreigners from using their stuff unless they are Japanese and can read Japanese. How they block distributions behind Japanese only forums. However, I can see why they do this based on their strict copyright laws and cultural norms. But in my eyes, I feel like they can take this way too far and hold unnecessary grudges against foreigners for past transgressions - this is based on my own experiences. [2] "However, this does not seem to be a problem for some people as they have begun to develop xenophobic views towards foreigners, or, if they find someone using the language incorrectly, they are suddenly banished from the area before being given any opportunity to improve."

I found this Deviant Art post also discussing the rift between the Japanese MMD community and the rest of the MMD community. I recommend you read it for further view points and discussions as well to help you form your own opinion OP. OP please research before making claims and please back claims up with sources. I agree and disagree with some of the things claimed in the link. For example I don't believe we should have be "[1] taken seriously as a community by the Japanese MMDC." What do we have to prove? All we need to do is be respectful towards each other.

All quotes from source [2] have been translated from Japanese from a Japanese article from the perspective of the author (who is also Japanese). Please see the article in Japanese for the original Japanese version. The webpage was translated using a translation Chrome extension.

Sources:

[1] https://www.deviantart.com/trackdancer/journal/MMD-Towards-an-understanding-of-the-Japanese-MMDC-374564214

[2] https://hatsune39.com/2020/08/16/mmd%E3%81%AE%E3%81%B6%E3%81%A3%E3%81%93%E6%8A%9C%E3%81%8D-%E3%83%AA%E3%83%83%E3%83%94%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0%E3%83%A2%E3%83%87%E3%83%AB%E3%81%AB%E3%81%A4%E3%81%84%E3%81%A6/

[3]

I could write an essay about all of this to address multiple view points. At the end of the day you cannot please everyone and everyone should try and understand we all live in different places, with different laws, with different cultures, with different societal norms. I am sorry if I have offended anyone with my view points. If there is something I missed that may help better inform my opinion and understanding of the situation please reply with sources for me to further look into. I have fully read all sources and respect both the Japanese MMD community and the Overseas MMD community and have a better understanding of both sides of this debate. Being from the UK, it is acceptable for me to continue ripping but if you are Japanese please do not use my rips and respect my decision to do this. Thank you for reading.

This is just a short version. I will fully write a multiple page essay addressing these topics if needed. Giving both fact, opinions and cited sources.