Controversy

Manga Publisher Targets Social Media Users For Image Copyright Infringement!

Posted on by Theo J Ellis
hitori bocchi funny face worried

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 manga.

Not just manga, but magazines and anything relating to that. But NO mention of anime at all.

None of that seems to matter at all, as long as it’s connected to an anime (or IF it is).

 

Shueisha’s IP

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 manga shows with BIG names. Or name’s that are at least known to a fair amount of people.

Shueisha hasn’t talked about any of these attacks, but the proof is in the pudding.

 

Everyone’s a target

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 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 manga, or they have some of the IP’S (intellectual property) that gives them an excuse to do it.

 

What about fair use policy?

satou matsuzaka thinking gif

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 Manga (or even anime) is being ripped entirely (an entire manga book or an entire video) that’s another story.

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/

 

 

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

Theo J Ellis

I'm the Founder of Anime Motivation. Featured as a judge in Crunchyroll's 2021 anime awards. The 1st anime I watched was Dragon Ball Z. I've seen 100's since then, with Saiki K being one of my all time favorites.

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