So. The whole Odex debacle. I shall tell you it got my family worrying for a while because my brother watches anime. He watches loads of anime. & he did download them. But that was in April & perhaps, early May. He has stopped since then.

But the whole unjust of it all is, Odex backdates. If you've stopped downloading animes ever since the crackdown started, but you did download in May or even April, tough luck. You're busted. The crackdown is supposed to discourage anime fans to download online & buy Odex products instead. Shouldn't they serve the lawyer letters to those who continue downloading after the crackdown is announced? What purpose do those lawyer letters serve if they are delivered to the poor anime fans who have since stopped in fear?

The $3000-$5000 is SUPPOSEDLY to pay for damages of some sorts. Then Odex retracted those words & said that the money is to pay for their 'law enforcement'. Hello. 1000 from each Internet Service Provider, 3000 from SingNet, Starhub & Pacific Net combined, $3000-$5000, that equals to $9 million - $15 million. That's one expensive lawsuit, assholes. You guys just want to pocket the money, buy yachts & jets, & live the glamorous life. How many products can you sell to make that much money? Odex apparently came up with the amount of $3000-$5000 just because. No proof of evidence how they settled on that amount of money. Quoted from TodayONLINE: 'The settlements are also not for damages, but "reimbursement" of expenses incurred "in pursuing these enforcement matters", it said.' (http://www.todayonline.com/articles/206676.asp)

Also, with the way Odex is conducting itself, you can hardly call them 'popular'. Anime fans & internet users have swore to NEVER EVER buy their products.

& SingNet apparently gave up 1000 IPs without contest. Their lawyers didn't even turn up for the contest hearing. LAWL. That's how important SingNet thinks you are, SingNet subscribers. (http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest+News/Courts+and+Crime/STIStory_151420.html)

At this point of time, I'm proud to be a PacNet subscriber. This is the first time I'm happy with PacNet. It's the only ISP that won Odex in the court hearing, & yet, it's the smallest ISP in Singapore. True, different judges may have different verdicts, but still, PacNet bothered to contest Odex, to protect the privacy of its subscribers. & it could be due to luck, or maybe, PacNet's lawyers presented a better case.

In a way, I guess PacNet is smart enough to turn this into a business opportunity, now with so many forum users talking about jumping ship from SingNet/Starhub to PacNet.

& of coz', to add fuel to the already wild fire, the director of Odex, Stephen Sing is a right bastard. Went to forums, gloated about 'double-6ing downloaders', & then when interviewed, said he forgot what the big hoohah is since he posted the comment 2 months ago & forgot about it. He's not only a bastard, he's a liar too. The comment was posted Aug 1. That makes it 3 weeks when he was interviewed.
(http://atalude.wordpress.com/2007/08/15/%e3%81%91%e3%81%84%e3%81%8b%e3%81%86-%e9%80%9a%e3%82%8a/)

For now, I told my brother to sit tight & cross his fingers & toes & eyes & heart too, because Odex is thinking of appealing to the Higher Court & the verdict should be...in about 2 weeks time.

This whole bullshit can be summed up best with this Today article: http://www.todayonline.com/articles/206667.asp