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The anime industry has grown significantly in the last few years, especially outside of Japan. It has spread rapidly across the world, especially with a major increase in the licensing of various series, movies, and OAVs hat an increased rate across various regions, and the rise of the anime network, Animax, acknowledged as the largest 24-hour anime-only network in the world ^[1], broadcasting its anime programming across Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, The Philippines, Southeast Asia, the entire Indian Subcontinent, Latin America and South Korea.

Contents 1 Licensors 1.1 Region 1 (North America) 1.2 Region 2 (Europe) 1.3 Region 3 (Asia) 1.4 Region 4 (Australia) 1.5 Other regions (South America, Africa, etc.) 2 Bootlegs, fansubs, and legal issues 3 Notes and references

Because anime is produced mainly by Japanese companies, it has to be licensed in other areas of the world by companies in order to be legally released. Licenses are extremely expensive and it is not uncommon to find that companies are paying at rates of up to $20,000 an episode to license a series for release. Here are some major licensing companies for their respective regions.

• Geneon
• ADV Films
• AN Entertainment
• Animeigo
• Bandai Entertainment
• FUNimation Entertainment
• Media Blasters
• Central Park Media
• Manga Entertainment
• Sony Pictures Entertainment
• The Right Stuf
• TOKYOPOP
• Viz Media
• Walt Disney Pictures
• 4Kids Entertainment
• Urban Vision
• Synch-Point

• Beez
• ADV Films
• MVM Entertainment
• Manga Entertainment
• Optimum Releasing

• Animax
• Hero TV (Subsidiary of ABS-CBN)
• Odex

• Madman Entertainment

• Animax

Bootlegs and fansubs are illegal because they bypass the act of licensing. There is a huge controversy in the fandom over fansubs (versions with fan-produced on-screen-translation (hence "fan-subtitled")) and bootlegs (illegal copies). Fansubs are episodes of anime subtitled by fans which are either released for download through BitTorrent or are distributed in video format for no profit. Anime bootlegs are commonly DVDs that are exact rips of fansubs or the Region 1 DVDs and are sold for profit. Bootlegs commonly originate in China and Southeast Asia and feature horrendous "English" subtitles. The fandom is torn over fansubs. Some believe that fansubs are necessary to promote series in other countries and that fansubbing is a "labor of love" by fans. Others see fansubs as a major problem that is seeping profits away from legitimate companies. Bootlegs are frowned down upon much more, as it is impossible to argue for bootlegging as a "labor of love". Only one company in Japan asked that its fansubbed products cease to be transmitted on BitTorrent networks.[citation needed]