Ravendust said:
It's not illegal for an amateur group to make an unlicenced product which they do not profit from. If anything, they're generating more interest in DBZ. If they started charging for ESF then it would be a different story, but they're not, so it isn't.
Not true. Under U.S. copyright law, any modification using an intellectual-property-holder's material can be sent a cease & desist order.
What you're referring to -- the "lack of profit," is just a factor in determining the degree of criminal culpability for copyright violations.
There are several factors:
1) Whether or not profit is being made from the infringement
2) If it has an effect on the sales of the original intellectual property
3) How wide-spread or pervasive the infringement is
4) Nature of the property, nature of the infringement
These aggravating factors make the infringement more serious, but an I.P. holder can demand (via a Cease & Desist order) even if you're not making profit, you're an obscure, esoteric group, and it has absolutely no effect on the original market.
The difference is what makes an I.P. holder actually
want to go through the trouble. As mentioned, ESF doesn't hurt Funimation or Toei Animation's sales of DBZ, and in fact--might help. And it doesn't seem to hurt Spike's sales of Budokai games. If it did, ESF would probably receive a letter.
Understand now? :x