Sci/Tech NetFlix Caught Stealing DivX Subtitles From Finnish Pirates

[tom_mai78101]

This week Netflix launched its popular on demand video streaming service in Finland, but not without controversy. To cater to the local audience, on some of its programming the company displayed “unauthorized” fansubs. Unlike regular subtitles, fansubs are created without permission from content owners and often used alongside pirated content. Netflix apologized for the use of the unauthorized subtitles and has promised to take them offline.

The fansub community “DivX Finland” has been translating subtitles for foreign TV-shows and movies since 2003.

Their fansubs have been downloaded 26 million times over the years and are generally used with pirated TV-shows and movies. However, during the past few days the hobbyist group got the ultimate recognition from an unlikely corner.

This week Netflix debuted its movie streaming service in Finland, but not without making a rather embarrassing ‘mistake’.

Instead of displaying official Finnish subtitles, Netflix was caught using DivX Finland’s fansubs on the Canadian-American science fiction series Andromeda. It’s possible that Netflix made this same ‘error’ for other TV-shows and movies as well.

Netflix Caught Using "Pirated" Subtitles in Finland * TorrentFreak

This week Netflix launched its popular on demand video streaming service in Finland, but not without controversy. To cater to the local audience, on some of its programming the company displayed "unauthorized" fansubs. Unlike regular subtitles, fansubs are created without permission from content...

torrentfreak.com

 

[Varine]

Are you kidding me? What the fuck is an unauthorized subtitle?

 

[Accname]

Are you kidding me? What the fuck is an unauthorized subtitle?

One made by the fans without a license to do so?
I guess they pirated the movie (or legally bought it, who knows.) and then translated it all and put their own translation in the sub titles.

 

[camelCase]

What's wrong with subbing? o.0
Anyone care to enlighten me?

 

[Hatebreeder]

What's wrong with subbing? o.0
Anyone care to enlighten me?

Nothing is wrong with it. Well, at least not from my perspective.
Thing is, Netflix took fanmade subs and called it their own. They are violating against 2 things:
1: They steal property from fansubbers and call it their own ( it's really bad if you steal things when you're an official company; others steal as well, but don't call it their own )
2: They make profit out of stolen Property

Netflix should face a juicy fine, give credit to subbers and fucking appogize sincerly.

 

[FireCat]

LOL

 

[Accname]

The problem is, to be able to play a movie anywhere you need a license to do so. Otherwise it would be piracy obviously. You need to pay the company who owns the right to the video and audio material.
The fan translation does not have a license most probably.
So chances are nonexistant that netflix could have a license to show that translation, even though they might have the right to show the original translation, the fan translation is still illegal since it was produced illegaly and is not officially tolerated by the company holding the rights to the movie.
Just think about it, if you are the author of a book and somebody is translating it without telling you and then some other company is selling the other translation for real money instead of yours, wouldnt you be quite upset as well?
Even if netflix might have bought the right to sell your own translation you might not want the fan translation to be spreading since it does not translate your work in a way you want it to be.

 

[Slapshot136]

I think the issue is more about Netflix "pirating" content rather than what the author gets from the sales

I don't see any proof as to why the fan translation would be illegal to produce - to sell yes, perhaps even to distribute unaccompanied by the movie, but not to produce unless there is proof that it was done without the original movie.