Just in May of this year, relevant reports pointed out that Shinobu Yoshida, a 52-year-old resident of Nagoya, Japan, violated relevant laws and regulations by uploading game gameplay clips and other content, and even became the first person in the world to be arrested and prosecuted for this. The lawsuit was led by the Content Overseas Distribution Agency (CODA) in Japan, which is responsible for handling copyright protection-related regulations, and Shinobu Yoshida also recently faced a guilty verdict.
Shinobu Yoshida admitted the charges at a hearing on August 2, and on September 7 he faced sentencing at the District Court in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. Since the defendant made it clear to the police that he knew his behavior was illegal but still continued to do it, it is not unexpected that he would receive a guilty verdict, but the result may still cause some controversy. Shinobu Yoshida faces two years in prison, plus five years of probation, and a fine of 1 million yen. This is also the first time in history that someone has faced a guilty infringement verdict for distributing video game images.
This sentence may seem a bit exaggerated, but CODA seems to have no intention of showing mercy at all.
“Although he did understand that his actions had infringed copyright, he still continued to post relevant content in order to make money,” CODA said in a press release, detailing the works that the defendant had infringed through a series of films, including “Steins;Gate: Lovers” and the animated series “Steins;
In the relevant judgment, CODA did not hide their displeasure with various “quick explanation” videos on YouTube. In most cases, these videos do not have the permission of the copyright holder, and directly maliciously display the important plot or ending of the work through editing and explanation, and attract a large number of viewers to click on it, thereby obtaining a large amount of improper income through copyright infringement.
“Quick explanation” videos are quite popular in Japan and many Asian countries. Producers usually extract important plot content from film and television works or games, and then add narration to condense it into a simplified explanation of a few minutes. However, as far as film and television works are concerned, the vast majority of materials used in such films are pirated films that seriously infringe copyright.
CODA called the verdict a “major achievement” and pledged to continue pushing the issue with the Japanese government. What is certain is that this organization hates “spoilers” in drama works. It directly emphasizes at the end of the press release that spoilers destroy the narrative core of a work, and has no regard for the thoughts of copyright holders.
Regardless of whether this sentence is too harsh, what is certain is that the defendant Shinobu Yoshida himself does understand that his behavior is illegal, but still has no intention of stopping. Therefore, it is only a matter of time before he eventually faces legal sanctions. The two-year prison sentence plus a fine of 1 million yen seems to be a warning to other creators who make similar videos for profit.
Source: KOCPC Chinese