On January 1st 2021 I talked about the new copyright laws in Japan that came into effect on that day.
My question was: how will this affect anime?
In Japan’s new copyright law, announced between July-September 2020, the main focus is
Not just
None of that seems to matter at all, as long as it’s connected to an anime (or IF it is).
Shueisha’s IP
shueisha copyright strike:
one piece , bleach, jujustu kaisen (jjk), haikyuu!! (hq), Food Wars, Dr Stone, Saiki K,demon slayer (kny),Death Note , kuroko’s basketball (knb),boku no hero academia (bnha/mha),naruto /boruto, dragon ball, jojo’s bizarre adventure, black clover— iCan’t Do This Anymore (@eboyitadori) January 8, 2021
shueisha copyright strike content cont. phantom seer, the promised neverland, orange, RWBY, ace attorney, assassination classroom, chainsaw man (csm),
hunter x hunter (hxh), one punch man (opm), owari no seraph, anything yu-gi-oh, and like a fuckton other stuff— iCan’t Do This Anymore (@eboyitadori) January 8, 2021
It seems like one publisher called Shueisha is getting trigger happy since the laws came into effect.
Shueisha is behind intellectual property like:
- Dragon Ball.
One Piece .- Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.
Naruto .- The Promised Neverland.
- RWBY.
Hunter x Hunter .
And basically a list of anime or
Shueisha hasn’t talked about any of these attacks, but the proof is in the pudding.
Everyone’s a target
Shueisha Copyright also striked one of their employees and the official artist of various Dragon Ball promos 🤦 really absurd https://t.co/4CoNNgaM4z
— ily (@kuramah3) January 8, 2021
They even copyright striked one of their own OFFICIAL employees on Twitter. Which makes no sense, but that’s what happened.
People are saying it must be some type of Twitter bot crawling through the site, maybe on Shueisha’s behalf, copyright striking accounts.
In that way it’s similar to YouTube’s method.
Some users have “private’d” their accounts to avoid attacks.
Nintendo all over again?
This is just the Nintendo situation all over again, but except this time, everyone in the comments actually recognizes that while this is legal, this is ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING, and a very likely terrible business decision.
— Evan Lin (@MusicalShyGuy) January 8, 2021
This is a relevant point, but it goes beyond that.
Remember what I said? Japan’s new copyright law came into effect January 1st 2021.
The article is here: Japan’s NEW Manga Copyright Law Is In Effect Today, But What About Anime?
It seems like Shueisha is getting excited now that the new copyright law is legit.
It’s no coincidence in my eyes that this happens within a week of the law coming into play.
Maybe other companies like:
- Toei
- Tokyo TV
And others will start getting more aggressive than usual this year. Assuming their copyright strikes are related to
What about fair use policy?
Fair use in this case would be sharing images but not altering or changing those images.
Especially not selling them or making a profit.
Millions of anime fans share anime images online everyday, across multiple social networks. And no harm is done.
If Japanese companies take this route it won’t end well for them, since the material isn’t being abused (unless it is).
Not just that, but Japan’s laws and international laws will make it difficult for this type of thing to be legit.
If
But sharing a screenshot from an anime, in ANY country as far as I know, isn’t an abuse of copyright. Unless it’s intentionally manipulated or ripped off in some way.
Let’s see how this plays out.
Sources: https://www.theouterhaven.net/
Are. You. Kidding. Me?
A GIF.
I got locked down by SHUEISHA on Twitter for a GIF.If they can do this once they can do it again and ill lose my account for SHARING A DRAGON BALL GIF.
Watch out guys. pic.twitter.com/K67Lyjkkob
— RoseScape 💖🌸 (@BlackScapeRose) January 7, 2021
Recommended:
The Problem With Anime Piracy And How It NEEDS To Be Solved Going Forward
Japan’s Attempt To Stop Piracy By Creating “Anti-Piracy” Manga Is Counterproductive