Japanese Man Sent To Prison Over YouTube Anime Videos
Steins Gate Darlings Embrace band scene
A Japanese man has been sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of 1 million yen (approximately $6700) for sharing and monetizing gameplay videos, and for posting spoilers about popular anime. The man, named as Shinobu Yoshida in the case, apparently uploaded and monetized a number of videos with content from games and anime, in violation of Japanese law.
The report comes courtesy of The Verge, which translated an article from Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, and says Yoshida was arrested in May for content that was posted in 2019. Yoshida reportedly uploaded videos of Steins;Gate: My Darling’s Embrace, a visual novel that was originally released on Xbox 360 in 2011, and subsequently ported to Nintendo Switch and PS4 in 2019.
He’s also said to have posted videos summarizing the plot of episodes of popular anime like Spy x Family, and more Steins;Gate, though it’s unclear if he posted clips of these episodes or just discussed them. Japanese anti-piracy group Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA) said that Yoshida “[maliciously posted] videos containing content and endings without permission from the rights holders.”
The prosecution in the case also reportedly claimed that Yoshida’s “malicious” actions disincentivized viewers from purchasing the content by uploading videos of it and condensing the plot so others wouldn’t have to watch or play it to experience it. The prosecution reportedly said that the actions “trample on the effort of content production”, which seems a bit far.
The main issue seems to be that Yoshida monetized the content, and less that he posted it in the first place. This is apparently the first conviction of its kind in Japan, but it’s generally believed that Japan’s copyright laws are very restrictive, and harsh penalties can apply for those who run afoul of them, as seen in this case.
