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How to Spot a Bootleg/Pirated Audio CD
Anyone who owns or uses a computer knows just how easy audio disks are to make and just how good of quality you can make them. Due to factors such as this, there are a TON of unlicensed anime and music CDs out there and for really cheap prices. There are a few bootleg companies that you are likely to see more than the others. Some are SonMay, EverAnime, Mia and Alion. The catch with companies like these is they are in fact legal in Taiwan, but ONLY in Taiwan. Taiwan is very far behind in international copyright laws so they actually allow these things to go on within there boundaries. HOWEVER if you take these products outside of Taiwan they are no longer legal.
Now, quality of the disks and packaging has gotten a lot better in recent years. Often you can not tell at a quick glance that they are any different from a legal product. Some of these will even say they are copyrighted and have a blurb about not reproducing the material just like a real copy would have. Since Audio CD's are so hard to spot the best way is to familiarize yourself with the known bootleg companies and avoid those names whenever you see them. A list of such names can be found in this guide.
One thing to beware of is colored cases. These are not normally - yes I reallize there are rare exceptions - found on a real product. The same goes for thin cases. If it is packaged in a case that is nonstandard it may be wise to check it over very well. Cases can be picked up for VERY cheap and they are available everywhere.
Also real CDs should have a number, barcode or both on the underside of the disk. This is the product identifictaion number. If you were to turn the disk upside down you should be able to easily see a rather long number or possibly a bar code. There could even be some Japanese lettering or multipule numbers and other info show up as well. The Majority of bootleg CDs out have a fairly short number. SonMay CD's are a possible exception of this rule. They will often have a long number just an like official CD's. However if upon checking you find the number has been scratched off or is somehow missing then it is likely that it is a bootleg.