Taiwan (Merch)

Buyer Beware

The following content contains information about unlicensed, aka "bootleg" merchandise. The production, distribution, trade, importation, purchase, or sale of these items may be illegal. Please refer to your local and regional laws for further information. The .hack//INFO Wiki does not condone or support bootleg merchandise. It is our belief that a well-informed public is best able to protect themselves from scams and low quality knockoffs. We hope that providing this information will help protect fans of the .hack series.

CDs

Rob's Corner Anime Store (2011):

For CD's, just look at the spine of your CD's jewel case for the manufacturer part number. Authentic Japanese Imports all have a four letter company name, followed by a dash, and then a four or five digit number.
Some examples of the major legitimate Japanese companies that produce Anime and J-Pop CD's are:

• VICL = Victor Entertainment

For Taiwanese companies, the company name consists of only two or three-letter words which are usually followed by a three digit number. The majority of the time, the first release is marked with 001 in a similar fashion as the Japanese imports to make them look more authentic.

SonMay Records LTD, Ever Anime, Alion, Archer Records, and Golden Diamond Music, Smile Face, Miya Records, & KO Records (to name a few) have been dealing in music CD's for several years, producing copies of Japanese CD's - copies that are legal to sell only in Taiwan. Why is this? Taiwan is not a signature member of the International Copyright Agreement (the Berne Convention, something you've probably never heard of), which requires each signing country to abide by worldwide copyright laws. Because if this they can freely produce copies of licensed CD's from other countries without regard to royalties, licensing agreements, or copyright laws.

In recent years, large quantities of these CDs have been poured into foreign countries (mostly through gray market distributors) with expanding Anime markets, especially the United States. These CDs are, in many cases, being sold as originals at many pop-culture retailers, comic dealers, and especially online stores. It's not uncommon for the distribution companies to pretend they don't know where their products are going since they don't personally sell them overseas, and for the local and online stores to deny any knowledge of the origins of these CD's. The reality is that they become illegal bootlegs the minute they leave the shores of Taiwan.

–Robert's Aniime Corner Store FAQ (circa 2004)

Due to copyright laws established in 1992, Taiwan had a relaxed approach to enforcement. During this era, these CDs fell into a legal grey area; they were legal in Taiwan but could be illegal in other areas. In 2002, Taiwan joined the World Trade Organization (WTO). After this point people and companies in Taiwan were expected to follow the regulations specified in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

	Title	Release Date	Manufacturer	Catalog #
	.hack//SIGN ORIGINAL SOUND & SONG TRACK 1	2002	Alion International Records Co. Ltd.	ALCA-8046
	.hack//SIGN ORIGINAL SOUND & SONG TRACK 1	2002	Smile Face International Records	HO-031
	.hack//SIGN ORIGINAL SOUND & SONG TRACK 2	2002	Alion International Records Co. Ltd.	ALCA-8077
	.hack//SIGN ORIGINAL SOUND & SONG TRACK 2	2002	Smile Face International Records	HO-053
	.hack//SIGN ORIGINAL SOUND & SONG TRACK 2	Unknown	Power International Multimedia Inc.	RC-023
	.hack//EXTRA SOUNDTRACK	2003	Alion International Records Co. Ltd.	ALCA-8084

=CD Companies

Alion International Records Co. Ltd.
aka Alion, Alion International Records

All of Alion's releases are bootlegs, and no rights to publish or distribute these albums were obtained. While the music and materials may be a close reproduction, the original copyright logos are typically removed. –Discogs