HELP: New Anti-Piracy Law in Japan (2012)

[hayasaki]

Four days ago, the new (not really) strict anti-piracy law has been implemented here in Japan. Perhaps, it has become one of my biggest disappointments this year. Based on the sources I've read, the law aims to attack not just the uploaders but those who download songs, movies and such illegaly. However, i'm not really sure if it is the right place to ask this question but it kinda makes me feel so confuse about the new law's scope.

Some says it only covers media published in CD/DVD/Blue-ray formats, as well as TV programs here. I read somewhere that even watching a copyrighted video in sites such as youtube can get you incarcerated.

I wonder how true this thing could be. Hope anyone here can help and explain me further information about it.

One more thing, i am an avid viewer of the American TV show, The Voice. The only way I can possibly watch this is to download the whole episode from sites. I also wonder if the new law restricts me from watching/downloading it. It makes me feel down and sad these past few days. I bet nothing can ever stop this law anymore.

I'm asking everyones opinion about it. Thank yOu

[isthisLOL?]

The thing that makes this law different from laws in other countries is that intention is important. If you KNOW your actions are illegal and they can prove it(this topic would be proof enough), then even watching something on youtube is illegal(watching something on youtube IS downloading, the files are just automatically deleted from your computer after you finished watching)

I can't tell you in how far American shows are affected.

[hayasaki]

Thank you so much for your reply.

It really make sense now how much this law could affect the piracy to the Japanese media. Like everyone in my work talks about it the whole day and I was like, silent, thinking of other possible ways to feed my thirst. I know i sounded kinda guilty (in which I really am), but I'm actually more than willing to spend money to legally download songs and movies via iTunes and the like. But recently I got scared and conscious with what I view and access in my PC.

How Illegal it is to download TV shows anyway?

[TeamAyu2004]

^ it doesnt effect american products. It's just a japanese law.

And it only effects you if the company wants to come after you.

there was a great video that I posted not too long ago about this...
if I can find it again, Ill posted it later, but got to go to work right now!

[hayasaki]

oh please! That'll be a help for me and others who are confused too. LOL

[Aderianu]

I think the meaning of this law is not to download all that you can buy. It's CD, DVD, tv-shows from paid channels, etc.
if tv show was broadcasted on some channels in you country or has a physical release on dvd, again in your country - it's illegal to download it

even watching a copyrighted video in sites such as youtube can get you incarcerated.

that is weird. if owner (for example Ayu and avex) think that it's ok to have some videos on youtube on official ayu channel, who will bring charges against you, if you watch this video?

kind of offtop: youtube was blocked in some towns in my country because of this stupid movie about Muhammad, and maybe be will be blocked for all country in next month >_<

[TeamAyu2004]

The law only states that the company can cone after you if THEY want too. So watched videos that they upload to their official channel will do nothing because they want you to watch them...
Where I agree with copyright laws, this one is just soooo.... Weird...
It basically gives the companies all the power, but thats if they even want to do anything about... It seems like the governments decided they just didn't want to deal with it anymore and give the responsability to the companies.

[Delicious n Bold]

Dang, that's awful
I read somewhere that Japanese parliament wanted to pass such a bill WITHOUT any of the Japanese citizens' opinion/voice, or that the majority aren't aware of such a bill!
You should voice your opinion to the government, start a Facebook group, get ANONYMOUS on the case, etc...
頑張って！

[isthisLOL?]

Anonymous IS on the case already, they did some kind of thing, but it wasn't really effective or much publicized.

[hayasaki]

Originally Posted by Delicious n Bold

Dang, that's awful
I read somewhere that Japanese parliament wanted to pass such a bill WITHOUT any of the Japanese citizens' opinion/voice, or that the majority aren't aware of such a bill!

Its everywhere on tv lately. Thank God, i'm a third-world citizen. I don't mean anything but knowing Japanese people, I admit that most are being too passive about the laws or anything that the Goverment ever wanted to implement. Some might oppose, but its just that. They don't go any further most of the times.

[Bigtop]

This anti-piracy legislation is already hitting us here in the worldwide J-pop community...could mean reduced uploads all because of concerns of the law?

[emi♡]

Has it affected us at all? idk I haven't been downloading or waiting for anything, so I really can't tell.


I suppose the youtube thing is an extension of your intent. You aren't supposed to watch stolen videos.

If Ayu puts one of her own videos to her channel...that isn't stolen. It's her property. If someone else uploads one of her videos to their channel, they've stolen it. This law also targets the downloaders though. So if you watch that video on that channel, and you know that they don't have the rights to it, you're now in violation.


But how much will they actually come after you. I guess we have yet to see.

[hayasaki]

Two years in jail, or a 2,000,000 yen just for downloading something illegal.

That's how DRACONIAN this new law is. It makes it harder for us (netizens in Japan) to breathe. LOL. I read somewhere that the guys who monitor this new law base their judgement through the data that they'll get from several internet providers here. Perhaps, they may look at how big the bytes have been downloaded or uploaded through the net on a person's IP address. Even a 100mb-sized could make them think something's fishy going on. What more with 700-800mb file size that I usually download whenever I watch those series from outside the country.

That alone can make them release a warrant, or investigate. I don't want to experience that much of a hassle just by watching something. It really irks me! ughhh.

[TeamAyu2004]

It's not 'DRACONIAN'.
The company's are trying to protect their products from people STEALING them.

It really burns me up when people feel they are entitled to FREE entertainment.

-.-

anyways....
Here is the video I was talking about.

[hayasaki]

Originally Posted by TeamAyu2004

It really burns me up when people feel they are entitled to FREE entertainment.

Thank you so much for the video.

If this kind of law has been implemented so long ago, Japanese artist or even artists as a whole, will not be so famous in places you'd never imagine their names could reach. Its actually not that I feel like i'm entitled to FREE entertainment, but there are certainly times when I feel like it helped me, and perhaps other people, in some ways like deciding whether or not to spend money on online media. It has always been like that, but it suddenly felt different. As if I lost a part of my daily routine. LOL

I find it DRACONIAN because of its strictness. And I have nothing against it either.

[TeamAyu2004]

But it's not very strict...
it doesnt even seem like people care about it because it doesnt really effect people who just stream, which is what a ton of people do..

I download all my TV shows because I dont have cable...
You dont have to worry about the american TV shows because the law doesnt effect them. Plus downloading and then deleting seems perfectly fine as well, because its all about intent.

I think the video explains everything very well from someone that is living there and understands the language better than I do.

[Chibi-Chan]

Originally Posted by TeamAyu2004

It's not 'DRACONIAN'.
The company's are trying to protect their products from people STEALING them.

It really burns me up when people feel they are entitled to FREE entertainment.

-.-

anyways....
Here is the video I was talking about.

I don't think you can call illegal downloads stealing. Because the company still owns their products when someone downloads them. Of course I'm not entitled to free entertainment, but if I would buy every song I'm listening to or every movie I'm watching I wouldn't be able to buy food anymore. I'm spending A LOT of money for music, but there is a limit to everything.
And like hayasaki said, a lot of Japanese artists wouldn't be famous in Europe or the USA or elsewhere without illegal downloads. I still remember when Dir en grey had their first concert outside of Asia in Germany. None of the people I know had ever buyed one of their CDs until this day, but it gave Dir en grey the chance to tour and to perform again in Germany and finally in other European countrys and in the USA. And of course they played a few times at music festivals like Wacken (worlds biggest metal festival).
Or look at MUCC, shortly after Dir en grey were for the first time in Germany they also played here and now are very popular among J-Rock/Visual Kei fans in Germany.
Furthermore I often go to concerts from artists I never buyed a single CD from, because I love their music. Only problem I don't have enough money to support every artist I like. But besides that, by buying CDs you basically just support the companys, not the artists (if they are not very unknown and need therefore sales).

[emi♡]

The law is draconian because it's not progressive. It doesn't do anything to address the modern issues of the entertainment industry, it just blankets, condemns and criminalizes.

It's exactly the kind of law and non-compromise that only benefits one side.

[TeamAyu2004]

^^ I dont care how you justified illegal downloads... its still illegal and you are still stealing.

You have to make a choice in life... eat, or just dont buy that album.

And buy saying 'buying CD's supports the company and not the artist" is one of the weakest points ever.

You really think ayumi would be where she is today if she only sold 1000's of her albums because everyone was downloading it, instead of millions? No. The company invested into her and kept her around because people bought her albums.

You hurt the artist more than you think buy not buying their music. You need to give the company a reason to keep Ayumi on the payroll. By stealing her music and never buying it it makes her look like she is not popular and the company does not want to waste any money on her so she will never be able to do anything.
(using ayumi is an example and this can go with any artist.)

@emi
Sadly the only issue is that people want FREE things.
I dont think its unreasonable to ask for 1.29 or whatever it cost you for a download.
Or if you want to spend 40/50 bucks on that foreign album... foreign companies dont cater to anyone outside their country. And stealing their music because you cant afford to eat and buy everything that you want., well that's called being a GROWN UP. You have to make sacrifices and pick and choose what you can and can not have.
You can't have everything in life.

[emi♡]

...Yeah. We're always going to disagree on that point so. Meh.