On May 19, CODA and the Japan Video Software Association (JVA), together with 13 member companies, filed a damages lawsuit against three individuals who had been uploading “fast movies” without permission. The lawsuit was filed at the Tokyo District Court, and a press conference was held to announce the proceedings.
The three defendants were arrested on June 23, 2021, by the Miyagi Prefectural Police Headquarters and the Shiogama Police Station. They had conspired to create fast movies by editing copyrighted films, including I Am a Hero, Confessions, and Lesson of the Evil, among others. These movies were shortened to around 10 minutes and uploaded to YouTube with added narration, generating illicit advertising revenue. In total, 54 films (across 64 URLs) from 13 companies were uploaded between early 2020 and late October 2020.
On November 16, 2021, all three defendants were convicted, and the ruling became final on December 1 of that year. During the trial, the defendants admitted to operating multiple YouTube channels. These fast movies were watched approximately 10 million times. In response, the plaintiffs calculated the damages at approximately 2 billion yen and filed a claim for 500 million yen as a minimum recovery for the losses.
A survey conducted by CODA in June 2021 revealed that around 2,100 fast movies were publicly available across 55 channels, with over 477 million views. The press conference on May 19 featured CODA Representative Director Takero Goto, and lawyers from the legal team, who provided explanations and answered questions about the case.
CODA emphasized that the convictions, secured through the diligent efforts of the Miyagi Prefectural Police and the Shiogama Police Station, were a significant step in preventing further copyright infringement. The organization also stressed that the damages lawsuit aims to seek restitution for the rights holders and to prevent future infringements, while promoting proper copyright protection and healthy content distribution.
List of the 13 Participating Companies (in alphabetical order): Asmik Ace Co., Ltd. / Fuji Television Network, Inc. / GAGA Corporation / Happinet Phantom Studios Corporation / KADOKAWA CORPORATION / Nikkatsu Corporation / Nippon Television Network Corporation / Shochiku Co., Ltd. / TOEI COMPANY, LTD. / TOEI VIDEO COMPANY, LTD. / TOHO CO., LTD. / TOKYO BROADCASTING SYSTEM TELEVISION, INC. / WOWOW Inc.
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About CODA
CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association) was established in 2002 at the call of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Agency for Cultural Affairs to promote the overseas development of Japanese content and take anti-piracy measures. Japan’s proud content, including music, movies, anime, broadcast programs, video games, and publishing, plays an important role in enhancing the nation’s international presence and economic growth. As digital technology becomes more widespread, it is even more significant to protect Japan’s content from increasingly artful copyright infringement and promote the content industry’s development. CODA contributes to the deterrence and detection of online and other piracy, by sharing knowledge with relevant government agencies, organizations, and companies in Japan and abroad, to engage in direct and indirect anti-piracy measures, as well as public relations activities. Visit https://coda-cj.jp/en/activity/ for more information on CODA’s projects.