National / Crime & Legal Jun 5, 2020
Japan bans pirated manga downloads with copyright control law
Penalties for repeat offenders will be up to two years in jail or a maximum fine of ¥2 million ($18,320), or both.
National Mar 10, 2020
Japan to expand online piracy law to cover manga and magazines
The government on Tuesday approved a bill to expand the nation's anti-online piracy law to encompass manga, magazines and academic texts. The current law only applies to the illicit downloading of music and videos. But following the revision of the copyright law, which the government ...
National Nov 27, 2019
Japan government panel reduces scope of draft law on downloading of copyrighted works
A government panel approved a plan Wednesday to limit the scope of what is considered illegal downloading of any copyrighted work — including manga, computer games and literary writings — reversing its initial plan to restrict such online activity more broadly. The Cultural Affairs Agency ...
Business Nov 21, 2019
French media launch copyright case over Google's refusal to pay to display their content
French media organizations lodged a complaint against Google to the country's competition authority Wednesday over the U.S. internet giant's refusal to pay for displaying their content. The move sets up a legal fight with Google over a new EU copyright law that could have huge ...
Business Sep 26, 2019
Google deals blow to EU copyright law in France, snubs fees for media outlets' links
Google said Wednesday it will not pay European media outlets for displaying their articles, pictures and videos in search results in France, a move that undercuts EU copyright law and could set up a legal fight between the U.S. tech giant and Brussels. Google routinely ...
National / Crime & Legal Sep 25, 2019
Illegal Japanese manga site operators used overseas banks to conceal money: investigative sources
Operators of the now-closed pirate site Manga-Mura, formerly one of the largest illegal Japanese comics-viewing websites and host of popular manga such as "One Piece," used multiple bank accounts overseas to conceal the flow of money, investigative sources said Wednesday. Police believe 27-year-old Romi Hoshino, ...
National / Crime & Legal Sep 25, 2019
Alleged operator of illegal manga site arrested while being deported from the Philippines
Japanese police arrested a 27-year-old man aboard a plane Tuesday as he was being deported by Philippines immigration authorities, for allegedly operating an illegal manga-viewing website that hosted copies of popular comics such as "One Piece." Romi Hoshino, who had been wanted over copyright infringement ...
National / Crime & Legal Sep 17, 2019
Four Japanese publishers have filed a damages lawsuit with a court in New York against several U.S.-hosted websites that allow visitors to view manga, alleging "massive" copyright infringement. The publishers say that the websites, which offer content in Japanese, are successors of the now-shuttered pirate ...
National / Crime & Legal Jul 11, 2019
Japanese artist's plagiarism claim over goldfish-filled phone booth rejected by Nara court
A court has rejected a plagiarism claim by an artist who argued a merchants' association in Nara Prefecture had copied one of his artworks featuring a telephone booth filled with water and dozens of goldfish. Nobuki Yamamoto, 63, a contemporary artist, filed a damages suit ...
National Mar 13, 2019
The government on Wednesday decided not to submit to the Diet a bill that would make it illegal to download literary materials without the permission of copyright holders.
National Dec 10, 2018
Japan to extend copyright period on works including novels and paintings to 70 years on Dec. 30
The copyright period on works such as novels and paintings in Japan is set to be extended to 70 years after the authors' deaths, from the current 50 years, effective Dec. 30 when a revised copyright law goes into force. The copyright law was revised ...
National Apr 13, 2018
Japan calls for 'emergency measure' blocking access to websites that pirate manga and anime
by Shusuke Murai
A government report calls for taking an “emergency measure” to block access to websites that pirate anime and manga, including Mangamura, Anitube and Miomio.