• Home
  • The Tech Tin About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

The Tech Tin

The Best In Tech

  • New Technology
  • Cool Gadgets
  • Latest Tech & Gadgets
  • Tech & Gadget Reviews
  • Tech & Gadget News
  • Gadgets Shop

Manga Anti-Piracy Campaign Hopes Artists Can Persuade Fans Ahead of New Law

Leave a Comment

manga campaignEarlier this month, Japan’s parliament passed new copyright amendments that will ban the unlicensed downloading of manga, magazines and academic texts from the Internet.

Those illegally downloading publications will face a sentence of up to two years in prison or a maximum fine of two million yen (US$18,620). Under local law, these penalties are already available for movies and music content.

The new anti-downloading law will come into effect on January 1, 2021, but ahead of this big change the Japanese government, publishers, and anti-piracy group CODA are hoping to persuade fans to take a new direction with a campaign supported by well-known manga artists.

Manga-Anime Guardians Project

Every Friday the ‘Manga-Anime Guardians Project’ (MAGP) will release four brand new manga comics, each telling stories about manga piracy. The ultimate aim is to put freeloading consumers back on the track to legal consumption before a more damaging response is authorized under law.

The first batch of manga, featuring artists including Akira Akatsuki, Adachitoka, Rie Arai, and Ammitsu, has just been released. Produced in the distinctive manga style, it’s hoped that the monochrome cartoons, which are available in both Japanese and English, will hit the right note with consumers.

manga frame

Masaharu Ina, CODA’s Director of Overseas Copyright Protection, informs TorrentFreak that the aim is for the campaign to enjoy a global reach while helping to nudge fans currently not parting with their money in a direction more profitable for the industry.

“The target audience is manga readers/lovers, especially innocent readers who unknowingly read manga on pirate sites like Mangamura,” he says.

“We would like to educate and guide them to the right channel. And with the English versions as well as the Chinese versions coming up, we expect to reach out to the audience around the globe.”

According to CODA, the now-shuttered pirate site Mangamura caused around $2.91 billion in damages to the local manga industry. In July 2019, alleged operator Romi Hoshino was apprehended in the Philippines and later arrested by Japanese authorities during a deportation flight.

Read  Lincoln techie becomes Tech Elf, providing holiday service for the gadgets that outwit humans - Lincoln Journal Star

While Hoshino awaits his fate, it’s hoped that the new anti-piracy campaign, which is supported by the government’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, will steer people away from pirate platforms. The major publishers behind the campaign, including the likes of Shueisha, Kodansha, Shogakukan, and Kadokawa, are already known for targeting unlicensed content providers (1,2) through the courts.

Start Buying Now or Pay Later

However, in addition to pursuing their own cases, the publishers involved in this project are also vocal supporters of the somewhat draconian laws set to come into force next year. Masaharu Ina confirms that this campaign is all about raising public awareness before the gentle carrot of choice becomes a pretty big stick next January.

“[Y]ou are absolutely right in assuming that this campaign coincides with the revision to the Copyright Act which passed the [Japanese parliament] on 5th June,” he says.

“Our intention is to fully utilize this timing to help boost awareness for the importance of copyright protection.”

In total, 16 pieces of manga will be released as part of the campaign, with a message designed “to warn of the dangers of piracy and to promote the legitimate distribution of manga/animation.”

The next four, featuring contributions by Hiromu Shinozuka and Kazutoshi Soyama, among others, will be released this Friday on CODA’s website and Instagram channel.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

YTS ‘Copycat’ Agrees to Settle Trademark Dispute for $200,000 The Pirate Bay’s IP Address Belongs to a VPN Provider, ISP Tells Court Internet Archive Calls For End to Publishers’ Lawsuit, Announces Early Closure of Emergency Library Internet Backbone Provider Hurricane Electric Sues Movie Companies Over ‘Ridiculous’ Piracy Allegations

Filed Under: Tech & Gadget News

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get Your Free Flashlight Here
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Overbroad DMCA Takedown Campaign Almost Wipes Dictionary Entries From Google March 7, 2021
  • Warning! Pirate Devices Threaten US National Security…Apparently March 7, 2021
  • Movie Pirates Don’t Mind Waiting For HD Quality Releases March 6, 2021
  • The future of tech and gadgets: what’s coming next – Gadget Flow March 6, 2021
  • Search Engines Won’t Face Monopoly Investigation Over Pirated Content March 6, 2021

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 56 other subscribers


Copyright © 2021 · The-Tech-Tin.Com