To make things short, our official stance is that we consider all series licensed by the [sitelink=publishers.html?id=196]Central Park Media[/sitelink] division [sitelink=publishers.html?id=191]Be Beautiful[/sitelink] as still legal and valid (despite what [sitelink=publishers.html?id=249]Libre[/sitelink] says). 18118

For the long story...
[sitelink=publishers.html?id=191]Be Beautiful[/sitelink] licensed some series from [sitelink=publishers.html?id=21]Biblos[/sitelink] (which was all perfectly legal), but then [sitelink=publishers.html?id=21]Biblos[/sitelink] became bankrupt and was bought up by [sitelink=publishers.html?id=249]Libre[/sitelink]. [sitelink=publishers.html?id=249]Libre[/sitelink] wanted to renegotiate all those licenses made by [sitelink=publishers.html?id=21]Biblos[/sitelink]. [sitelink=publishers.html?id=191]Be Beautiful[/sitelink] refused to renegotiate, so [sitelink=publishers.html?id=249]Libre[/sitelink] declared them as illegal.

However, because [sitelink=publishers.html?id=191]Be Beautiful[/sitelink] is an American company, it is governed under American laws. [sitelink=publishers.html?id=191]Be Beautiful[/sitelink]'s licenses are still in force under American law (because nothing is illegal of the original licenses). The gray area is because [sitelink=publishers.html?id=21]Biblos[/sitelink] went bankrupt, what happens? We are considering all the licenses on the series in question as still active.

Just to note something, [sitelink=publishers.html?id=249]Libre[/sitelink] can put whatever they want to say on their site (since it IS their site). Also, [sitelink=publishers.html?id=249]Libre[/sitelink] has not relicensed any of the series in question to another company. Nor has [sitelink=publishers.html?id=249]Libre[/sitelink] taken [sitelink=publishers.html?id=191]Be Beautiful[/sitelink] to court (and we suspect that [sitelink=publishers.html?id=249]Libre[/sitelink] would probably lose in an American court).

The last thing to note is that [sitelink=publishers.html?id=191]Be Beautiful[/sitelink] hasn't actually done anything with the licensed series since then...

(We thank the lawyer and publisher friends that we informally questioned for advice about this issue)

The original situation can be found here:
http://www.b-boy.jp/info17.html
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6428918.html

A just ruler amongst tyrants

that's all good and dandy but what will happen with the licensed projects..?! I think that that is the more pressing matter for the fans...! sigh

Where did this come from? M might be 'active' but Be beautiful is dead.

Just a bit too into bad things

(and part of the yaoi scanlation group
Terribletrio!)

Libre hasn't reliscensed the series, but they are in negotiations with at least one of the series with a US manga company. Regardless of what lawyers and publishers here say, since they've not seen the contracts they have no idea what the status of those licenses are, and that's likely to be determined only in a court of law. Please do not offer legal opinions, since you simply cannot know what you're talking about.

This sucks. BB has some really aweseome licensed series but now it's all frozen. Hopefully they renegotiate or licensed expires and some other company takes over.

Like many fans, BB really have many good manga series I'm still waiting for to get published...it's so sad. View Finder is selling for about $100US on ebay and that's if nobody outbids you. As much as I love and adore the scanlations, having your own hardcopy is really the best.

Uh, just curious are these Boys Love publisher?
Sounds like they are.

Yes they are.

Cogito Ergo Sum (I think, therefore I am)

Oh, I see. Thank you.

M and by extension, Be Beautiful, has filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy. Chapter 7 is the "sell it all off, we're done" kind of bankruptcy. So they're gone now too.

Agreed. If I had known that BeBeautiful was going to go belly up and that their books would cost $100 a piece, I might not have sold off my books for that $40 trip to the mountains... ^^;;

Can you name some good series by Be beautiful, other than Viewfinder