Large numbers of pirated DVDs of the animated film "Howl's Moving Castle" are being sold in and around the city of Osaka, Kyodo News learned Saturday.
Studio Ghibli, producer of award-winning director Hayao Miyazaki's latest film, says it is considering taking legal measures to stop their circulation.
Street vendors have been selling the DVDs since late last month, according to sources familiar with the case.
The pirated version was probably made by taping the film in a theater with a video camera. Audience noise can occasionally be heard over the soundtrack, and the image is generally blurry.
At one street vendor in Osaka, the DVDs were selling for 1,000 yen each, with an advertisement saying, "Just arrived!"
Each package featured pictures -- apparently made with a color copier -- from scenes of the film, and carried the names and other information of an authentic distributor.
Toshio Suzuki, a producer at Studio Ghibli, said the firm is planning to take some legal measures against the piracy.
"But we do not intend to monitor spectators at theaters (to prevent them from videotaping the film), because we want them to enjoy the movie experience," he added.
The film, which has attracted more than 10 million viewers since opening Nov. 20, is based on a children's book of the same name by British writer Diana Wynne Jones. The story is set in a world of science and witchcraft and centers on a romance between a sorcerer named Howl and 18-year-old Sophie, who is turned into an old crone by magic.
Miyazaki is famous for a number of popular animated films, including "Spirited Away."