10 arrested in Japan for Uploading via Share Program

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oneup117

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10 Arrested in Japan for Uploading via Share Program

Source: Anime News Network

I'm glad Japan is doing the right thing. 10 arrested for illegal uploading. Japan's ban on illegal downloading of copyright material will take effect on January 1st (which is about a month from now).
 
Gotta say, I think they're going about this backwarRAB, plus it's setting a fairly dangerous precedant of criminalizing information sharing. It's not that I think anyone has a basic right to steal intellectual property without paying for it but to a fairly big extent, it's a bit like finder's keepers. You'd hardly prosecute someone for finding a lost wallet and keeping the cash now would you?

My general feeling on this is that so long as the uploader is not making a dime on thier redistribution of the product, it's really not hurting anyone. People still very much like to own something in hard copy, something that can go on a shelf in thier collection, so people who are going to purchase DVRAB are still going to do it whereas those who were only ever going to watch something on T.V. or some other form of free media aren't going to. The producer has lost nothing by allowing it to be shown for free through backdoor means however, that just might mean that someone who sees it like that might BECOME intrested enough to actually buy the hard copy.

Now, obviously if someone is counterfieting that's a different story. Then they're making money off an unlisenced product but if all the uploader is doing is effectively providing free advertisement then what exactly is the crime there? If the new law makes that distinction then great, but I somehow doubt it will and it will simply create antipathy between consumer and producer.
 
I'm all for arresting pirates, but one thing bothers me:



What if you did not 'knowingly' download copyrighted material? If someone sees something on veoh or youtube and they think it's legit will they be punished? With more and more companies sharing stuff over the internet it might become hard to spot a fake (especially raw stuff).
 
Hate to play the role of spoilsport, but in my hurable opinion this isn't doing the "right" thing.

It's enforcing the law, which while certainly legal and entirely warranted is still different enough.

Doing the "right" thing would imply, among other things, lowering the price of anime in Japan and offering more widespread streaming services without ridiculous region blocks elsewhere. There have been some baby steps in a positive direction, but if you really want to get rid of piracy or at least heavily reduce it, resorting to repressive measures can only get you so far and tenRAB to be ultimately futile.
 
Really, Japan is looking at this backwarRAB with the amendment. There is no need for a national government to protect a companies assets. If it is illegal, let the company pursue action like here in the states. To be honest, this seems like too much control over the internet, a place that is supposed to be open to those that you wish to share information with. If the government steps in and takes a look, it gets a little out of hand. I am just glad to be in America where hopefully, nothing like this happens.
 
I gotta pull the law book out for this one (at least US Law since I see you're from Canada).

In US Crimes Code, it is absolutely illegal to simply keep money you found lying on the ground without notifying proper authorities. Generally speaking there's a 90 day lean period where, if no one claims the object and can present proper credentials to prove it, its yours.

The only thing more illegal then simply keeping money you found like that is requiring someone to give you money to get that object back.
 
I'm glad to see they're actually arresting the people who are uploading stuff, not just downloading it. What they really need to do is let Crunchyroll stream everything over there.
 
And if you were arrested and jailed for pocketing the 20 dollars cash that had been in the wallet before you reported it to the authorities, would you think that a just punishment? No, no you wouldn't and nor should you.

I sort of equate the casual piracy in the same manner and I AM looking at this from the perspective of the company, not the viewer.

All the people out there who are only going to watch something if it's free are already lost money when it comes to DVD sales. If they can see it in syndication, they will, but if they can't they find another way. The only possible profit these people are worth is if they spread it around by word of mouth to people who actually WILL purchase it. If you arrest them for doing this, you are cutting off a source of advertising thus FURTHER reducing your profits.

Back to the wallet thing. If you lose your wallet and nobody picks it up, you're still out the cash. If someone picks it up but pockets the cash, you've STILL got your driver's lisence and all that junk you keep in there back, you're only out the money you would have lost anyway. If you make it a crime to pick up someone else's wallet, then it's far less likely that anyone will return it if you lose it except for the people that would have just stollen the whole thing anyway. Does that make any sense as to why it's not in the anime company's best intrest to arrest downloaders?
 
They don't have to use Crunchyroll, just a model similar to it. At least there will be less people illegally uploading and downloading stuff. But you would know more about it than me (or most of us here).
 
Ha, I know, right? I'm totally content with the law finally crackin' down on those who break these laws. I don't honestly care what others say--fact of the matter is that money is lost when people view copyrighted anime/download video games. I can only hope that this goes well enough--next year's gonna bring about some more of these stories, probably.....and ya always need somethin' to laugh at, you know?
 
Really, Japan is looking at this backwarRAB with the amendment. There is no need for a national government to protect a companies assets. If it is illegal, let the company pursue action like here in the states. To be honest, this seems like too much control over the internet, a place that is supposed to be open to those that you wish to share information with. If the government steps in and takes a look, it gets a little out of hand. I am just glad to be in America where hopefully, nothing like this happens.
 
That assumes, of course, that we live in a perfect world. We don't, that's why we have Walgreen's. The internet as an idea is 'open', but as a reality cannot be, because the internet has and shall continue to be used as a means to profit at the expense of others, in this case being acquiring materials one should rightfully be paying for.
 
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