LCD Ascendance of a Bookworm

Discussion in 'Latest Chapter Discussion' started by Shance, May 31, 2016.

  1. dhRPGamer

    dhRPGamer Well-Known Member

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    Hello there, I'm a new passenger on this rollercoaster of a storyline. After coming in touch with it roughly a month ago, this series quickly become my new and probably all times favorite.

    I've started on translating the chapters much further on, so as to not come into conflict with my senpais already on the scene, either in the writing style or the naming habits.

    I do realize that some will be mindful that this'll spoil the story a little, but having read through the original Japanese webnovel up to the newest update, I feel that the place where I chose to start the translation shouldn't affect too much of the prior contents.

    Here is the chapter that I've translated, it's towards the end of the 3rd arc heading into the beginning of the 4th.
    whimwn. home. blog/2019/04/16/honzuki-270-and-afterwards/
    In any case, for those of you that don't mind the spoilers, any helpful comments/corrections will be much appreciated, especially on the names of characters and places.
     
    Last edited: Jun 1, 2019
  2. lychee

    lychee [- slightly morbid fruit -] ❀[ 恋爱? ]❀

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    It’s a shame the translation stopped. T^T

    Now I’m off reading the raws slowly.

    I’m really curious about the Head Priest!
     
  3. Phantom-Z

    Phantom-Z Well-Known Member

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    Apparently the novel is now licensed and that it was the reason why they didn't want to keep translating it...

    But was the licensing of the novel for the 'Light Novel' or the 'WebNovel' ?
    (or maybe both ?)
     
  4. lychee

    lychee [- slightly morbid fruit -] ❀[ 恋爱? ]❀

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    I really ship the head priest hahaha (sorry lutz!)

    I dunno! Usually they only license the LN?
     
  5. CountryMage

    CountryMage [XSanguine8] not my blood...

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    Some publishers see the wn as a problem too, so they send out c&d for those too.
     
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  6. bittervalley1

    bittervalley1 Well-Known Member

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    I'm subscribing to J-novel and it is definitely LN. Starting 5/20, they are planning to release new volume every two months so they will catch up to the fan translation by early next year.
     
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  7. dhRPGamer

    dhRPGamer Well-Known Member

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    Just a little update, the latest chapter into Arc 4 is now chapter 280. (Starting at 270 of the webnovel a little while back, plus a few short stories that the author wrote between these chapters.) So if there's anyone that's interested, please do pop in and have a look, and maybe leave a comment or two.

    It's a little personal hobby that I've started recently, and hopefully see it through to the end, because the story really is that good IMHO.

    (Though, if it's inappropriate to post it here, please tell me and I'll stop. OTZ)
     
    Last edited: May 1, 2019
  8. Gandire Alea

    Gandire Alea [Wicked Awesome Translator]

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    Since the current translator stopped due to the story being licensed, could you pick up where it was left off at 105??
     
  9. Wujigege

    Wujigege *Christian*SIMP*Comedian

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    You will most likely get a DMCA. I do not recommend continuing.
    J-novel uses this forum, so you will be contacted by the owner Sam pretty soon.
    You cant plead ignorance when the publisher has contacted you
     
  10. lnv

    lnv ✪ Well-Known Hypocrite

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    From my understanding, they licensed the Light Novel, not the Web Novel. Unless J-Novel has a license to the web novel, issuing a DMCA without permission would actually hold them liable to perjury under DMCA law.

    They would first have to get permission from the original content holder be it the publishing company or the author (depending on how they handled the license) to issue DMCA. (of course there is a possibility their contract allows them to legally represent them but who knows)

    Of course most translators won't fight it because well they don't have lawyers on hire.
     
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  11. Wujigege

    Wujigege *Christian*SIMP*Comedian

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    Let me put it this way
    If I am translating the draft of Harry Potter without permission is it okay then?
    It is just semantics at this point.
    I have spoken to J-novel about their novels.
    Copyright is about intellectual property
    Harry Potter is the IP whether it is in the draft or actual published book.
    You cannot pick and choose.
    Also I used DMCA loosely, I wanted to edit it out of put it in parenthesis but either way, the translator will be contacted by J-novel.
    Contacting the web host eg WordPress should lead to the website getting taken down quite easily
     
  12. lnv

    lnv ✪ Well-Known Hypocrite

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    That isn't how IP works though.

    Well, theatrically speaking, all translations other than official ones are in violation of copyright. It is simply up to the copyright holder whether they wish to engage in enforcing their copyright or not. (unlike patents, you don't lose your rights even if you don't enforce it).

    At first, J-Novel licensed the manga, but was clear they do not own the novel version. They then licensed the Light Novel as well. Whydid they need 2 separate licenses instead of 1? Because they didn't buy the entire IP, they only licensed distribution rights for the manga and then the light novel.

    Whether or not they can legally DMCA would depend if their license allows them to rights on behalf of the original content holder on the IP not just the light novel and manga).

    Of course I'm not denying that most webhosting companies don't bother checking and just react to the DMCA by taking down the sites (one of the flaws of DMCA). But I'm simply talking from a legal standpoint of using DMCA without permission of the original content holder is subject to perjury by law. (Ad again of course no one is going to bother going to court over it either)
     
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  13. Wujigege

    Wujigege *Christian*SIMP*Comedian

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    Japanese laws are pretty archaic. Reminiscent of how DC Comics exploited their creators.
    When an author gets a light novel deal, the web novel is usually taken down.
    Authors themselves don't want you to translate. You can find the conversations.

    Japanese web novels are not the same as Chinese web novels.
    It is just a rough draft, the stories are not separate.
    Speaking from experience of dealing with J-novel, Japanese authors and publishers this is how it works. The experience is not necessarily first-hand in all cases but a country that has such archaic laws that prevents bookstores from setting prices and you can return 100% of the books has a system that is in the stone age.
    Judging it with Western standards is a stretch.
    I personally do not consider Syosetu a good thing.
    It is a content farm, exploitative.
    Just like Huffington Post used to be, content creators do all the work but earn nothing
     
  14. lnv

    lnv ✪ Well-Known Hypocrite

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    That may often be the case, but it isn't always so. I've seen plenty of web novels continue even after the light novel got published. Of course often times in those cases the light novel has significant changes.

    As for Syosetu, at the very least it allows the authors to retain their rights. Some places don't even allow that.

    Either way, in the case of bookworm, the web novel is still up even after the light novel was published, so possibly the publisher (TO BOOKS?) is not as strict as some others.
     
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  15. Wujigege

    Wujigege *Christian*SIMP*Comedian

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    J-novel will request that the translation get taken down. It will affect their profits.
    Webnovels are not so different from light novels. Like I said previously, web novels are drafts of the story.
    This community say they care about authors but they don't.
    Causing issues for publishers is the same as causing issues for authors.
    Authors do not pay themselves.
    I have seen idiots who say screw publishers, the authors can self publish.
    It is pretty pathetic.
     
  16. Gandire Alea

    Gandire Alea [Wicked Awesome Translator]

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    Jnovel club is pretty leniant toward WN translators. From my understanding, they won’t do much as long as the translator doesn’t try to make a profit off the work
     
  17. Wujigege

    Wujigege *Christian*SIMP*Comedian

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    I am not making conjectures. I directly spoke to J-novel.
    I keep repeating myself but Japanese web novels are drafts.
    Light novels are the final professionally edited version.
    Why would you buy the light novel when the draft is freely available?
    J-novel policy is that you delete the corresponding chapters that they release.
    Eg they release volume 1 of the light novel and the first 30 or so chapters of the web novel get removed.
    This community confuses me.
    Why do you guys think authors write? At least the average author?
    They write to earn a living.
    If people in this community care even a little bit about authors, they should not be a stumbling block to publishers that turn more people into authors because of the rewards they offer.
    Then again, humans are stupid by nature and seem to prefer shooting ourselves in the foot.
    Over and out.
     
  18. lnv

    lnv ✪ Well-Known Hypocrite

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    It is really outside of J-novel's ability to dictate web novels unless they specifically have a license for the web novel. Having a license for the light novel does not automatically mean you have a license for the web novel, drafts or no drafts. Don't confuse the legal ownership of the content creator with a distributor.

    The legal ability of a distributor depends on their licensing terms. This is why one distributor can have a license on volume 1 while another distributor can have a license on volume 2. The distributor for volume 2 can't claim that they own volume 1 simply because it preclude to volume 2.

    Even if you call the web novel a "draft", you would have to have the license specifically state that they own rights to all drafts concerning the content. The JP publisher might have all these, but J-novel may not.

    --

    I think you are jumping to conclusions here, all I was pointing out is the legal perspective of if j-novel can DMCA a web novel or not and what would it require for them to do so.

    That said, as a community, we obviously should support publishers and help promote them, not fight against them. It obviously goes against the original intent of fan translations.

    And as already mentioned, j-novel is fairly lenient and allows people to post up chapters as long as they take them down when they reach them. So regardless of the legality of a DMCA for a web novel, we should obviously support them and acknowledge that middle ground that has the least friction while benefiting both sides.
     
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  19. Wujigege

    Wujigege *Christian*SIMP*Comedian

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    Like I pointed out, you are making your point under two incorrect assumptions
    1. Japanese authors have rights just like Western authors
    2. Authors on Syosetu are rock stars who determine/dictate the terms of their light novel contracts
    Whatever the Japanese publisher wants is going to happen, if the licensee : J-novel believes that web novel translations are not beneficial to them and the Japanese publisher agrees then that it all that is required.
    From speaking to J-novel, that is the case.
    We are not talking about a scenario here, I am talking from firsthand experience talking to the involved party.
    Maybe if another English publisher licensed the novel they might have a different opinion but this is J-novel's stance.
     
    Last edited: May 2, 2019
  20. Snipetress

    Snipetress [Editor, Typesetter, and PR at House of Rain]

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    Finally caught up to this novel! AHHHHHH i cant wait for more!