Summary
According to reports, a JapaneseYouTubeuser was tried and convicted for violating anti-piracy laws that prohibit making any sort of profit from copyrighted material. TheYouTubeuser in question, 53-year-old Shinobu Yoshida, was accused and found guilty of making money off of content from visual novels and anime and was sentenced to two years in prison and fined ¥1 million, or just over $6,700.
The anti-piracy group known as the Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA) stated that the content that Yoshida uploaded contained spoilers and content fromtheSteins;Gatevisual novel series, as well as episodic summaries of the animeSteins;GateandSpy x Family. While some video game companies and production studios such as Nintendo have different bylaws and content programs such as the Nintendo Ambassador program, this differs from company to company. However, some companies ban the practice outright and use anti-piracy laws to take down videos as they see fit.
RELATED:New YouTube Service Lets Users Play Games on Mobile and Desktop
In a follow-up verdict fromhis arrest back in May for the YouTube uploads, Yoshida was sentenced to serve two years in prison and ordered to pay a ¥1 million fine, which is approximately $6,700. However, Yoshida willingly admitted that his Let’s Play videos and other uploads were clear violations of Japanese law. During the trial, Yoshida said, “As part of my hobby, I wanted someone to see what I made.” CODA condemned the uploads of copyrighted content and claimed that consumers would not be as incentivized to spend actual money on games and anime episodes if they were spoiled by uploads from content creators. CODA also accused Yoshida of “…unfairly gaining advertising revenue through copyright infringement.”
Considering the fact that CODA is part of the International Anti-Piracy Organization, alongside the United States' Motion Picture Association (MPA), this unprecedented conviction will have a ripple effect. While some games and studios havemodes to keep streamers and content creators out of troublewith the US' Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), Yoshida’s conviction is the first of its kind globally, and the effects of this precedent remain to be seen. On social media, reactions to this conviction have been mixed. While some users stated that the copyright holders were within their rights to protect their property, others disputed CODA’s claims that sales would be significantly impacted by content creators uploading spoilers or having discussions about an anime or game.
Suffice it to say, Yoshida’s conviction did not go unnoticed outside Japan. WhileYouTube itself is facing changes to ad distribution, it remains to be seen what the global impacts of this verdict will be.
MORE:Jacksepticeye and MrBeast’s Drama Explained
