Bilibili Comics check

[Plucky Novice]

Hi all,

I have been approached by Bilibili comics to turn my novels into online comics. The approach appears legit and professional, however, I'm not sure how to authenticate.

I don't think this is a scam (they pay me, not vice versa) but wondered if anyone was familiar with it.

PN

 

[JS Wiig]

Was this unsolicited? I would always approach something like that with a heavy dose of caution and skepticism. Also found this on the web, one writer’s experience indicates a questionable contract. Make sure you fully understand all the details before signing anything. Have someone knowledgeable (ie lawyer) go over it if necessary.

Has anyone heard of or done business with Bilibili comics?

www.kboards.com

 

[Plucky Novice]

Was this unsolicited? I would always approach something like that with a heavy dose of caution and skepticism. Also found this on the web, one writer’s experience indicates a questionable contract. Make sure you fully understand all the details before signing anything. Have someone knowledgeable (ie lawyer) go over it if necessary.

Has anyone heard of or done business with Bilibili comics?

www.kboards.com

Thanks, that's a useful link. I will proceed with caution.

 

[Brian G Turner]

From the Kboards thread:

Basically they keep your rights after the contract expires, they keep all derivative rights, there's no accounting from them on anything financial, YOU have to request the money (but they don't tell you how much), and they also don't tell you what things are being discounted before your royalties. Oh, and everything is handled in china under chinese law.

That all sounds like a HUGE red flag.

 

[Plucky Novice]

They seem up for negotiating so I'll see if I can get it to a sensible agreement. There are other substantive issues too.

 

[Astro Pen]

My inclination after running several businesses, where not going with my gut reaction cost me dear on a couple of occasions, is to walk away.
You asked opinions here, so doubts already lurked. You have been given more information.
Importantly: Don't fall into a flattery trap.

Importantly 2: If you decide to pursue it. Don't go to someone else's office and sign a long contract that has been 'agreed verbally'. Get the copy and have your own lawyer go through it first. Due diligence and all that.

PS I would add that, even on here, I have been approached about international publishing and translation of one of my stories by an apparently legit anthologist who afterward disappeared from the forum. They didn't get my facebook, 'social media' and full personal details ( I intentionally don't have any such social media accounts so I sleep nights .)

 

[Plucky Novice]

My inclination after running several businesses, where not going with my gut reaction cost me dear on a couple of occasions, is to walk away.
You asked opinions here, so doubts already lurked. You have been given more information.
Importantly: Don't fall into a flattery trap.

Importantly 2: If you decide to pursue it. Don't go to someone else's office and sign a long contract that has been 'agreed verbally'. Get the copy and have your own lawyer go through it first. Due diligence and all that.

PS I would add that, even on here, I have been approached about international publishing and translation of one of my stories by an apparently legit anthologist who afterward disappeared from the forum. They didn't get my facebook, 'social media' and full personal details ( I intentionally don't have any such social media accounts so I sleep nights .)

Thanks Astro Pen.

I will tread carefully but contracts always start by favouring the drafting party. The critical element is where you end up and being prepared to walk away if it isn't right, which I am.

I do have the benefit of being a lawyer often dealing with IP. So I'm on home turf.

 

[Mon0Zer0]

Bilibili are a Chinese equivalent of youtube (as an alternative to the bigger Youku). They do have a manga arm (哔哩哔哩漫画 - bilibili 正版漫画平台) - and are a pretty popular site in China.

One of my old university mates did his thesis on Chinese ip. Long story short, if you're non-Chinese the odds are heavily stacked against you if it ever comes down to going to court. Chinese companies tend to have arbitration clauses in contracts specifying a court in China, and then foreigners almost never win. They have a different attitude to ip which is culturally ingrained, so you can pretty much guarantee anything shared over there will be stolen, repackaged, sold on the market and so on.

With international relations as they are, it's doubly cause to think.

But if it's genuinely them, they are a legit company with very reach and income. Whether you'll see any of it is another matter.

 

[Plucky Novice]

Bilibili are a Chinese equivalent of youtube (as an alternative to the bigger Youku). They do have a manga arm (哔哩哔哩漫画 - bilibili 正版漫画平台) - and are a pretty popular site in China.

One of my old university mates did his thesis on Chinese ip. Long story short, if you're non-Chinese the odds are heavily stacked against you if it ever comes down to going to court. Chinese companies tend to have arbitration clauses in contracts specifying a court in China, and then foreigners almost never win. They have a different attitude to ip which is culturally ingrained, so you can pretty much guarantee anything shared over there will be stolen, repackaged, sold on the market and so on.

With international relations as they are, it's doubly cause to think.

But if it's genuinely them, they are a legit company with very reach and income. Whether you'll see any of it is another matter.

Thanks - that's pretty much where I got to. I take comfort in the fact that if they just wanted to rip off my IP they would - they don't need me to send it to them, they can just buy a copy for a few dollars on Amazon.

 

[Plucky Novice]

Hi all,

Just an update on this. After some fairly intransigent negotiations, Bilibili and I have decided not to work together. In case anyone else is contacted by them, it may interest you to know that the IP rights were not the only issue with their terms. They also contain some concerning unlimited liabilities.

The company are fine to deal with but ultimately their legal team is not reasonable or flexible. I'll be publishing book 3 of my trilogy in the new year - if I can top some Amazon categories again, maybe I'll see if they want to reconsider their position.

PN