The growth of Japanese animation in recent years has given rise to many YouTube channels where just as many content creators and their communities discuss the latest productions. However, the legal rigor in the industry has cost dearly the Totally Not Mark channel, which blocked 150 videos Toei animation.
Unfortunately, this situation seems to be on the agenda there strict concessions which still characterize the copyright and fair use laws in Japan today. While the United States of America allows the use of copyrighted material for informational, educational, or critical purposes, the subject is much more sensitive within Japan.
Indeed, according to the official website Copyright Research and Information Center of Japan, the creator of a work has full rights to distribute and display their work, and anyone wishing to use copyrighted material must obtain permission for the copyrighted work first. As much as it seems years behind the west Japan’s legal system has been trying to advance for yearsespecially given the tremendous accessibility of series, films and video games and the importance that social media plays in the growth of these sectors.
However, this is a slow process in which open regulations must be defined for them Consumption methods of products that have been consolidated for years, and whose main interest for now is not to ease tension between Japanese companies and content creators when discussing their IPs.
Back to the Totally Not Mark case: the YouTuber was supported by another channel, Hoeg Law, which specifically deals with complicated legal cases. Hoeg Law specified that Japanese law cannot affect the content of a foreign person outside of their own borders. So it can only prevent the “offensive” videos from being published and viewed in Japan.
Totally Not Mark then considered the responsibility of the YouTube platform itself and contacted several employees to learn how to proceed. The solution seems “simple”: Block access to your videos from Japan, an operation that requires a manager, or MCN, a multi-channel network managed by different people involved in promoting content and managing digital rights to video.
Currently the Toei Animation has only unlocked 19 of the Totally Not Mark videosafter the boy posted a video request to the company with the help of a Japanese friend.
In conclusion, we would like to remind you that the ABJ has denounced the serious piracy situation in the manga sector and leave the surprising data that the AJA has released for the animation industry for 2020.
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