On June 16, 2025, the Osaka Prefectural Police Headquarters and Toyonaka Police Station arrested a man residing in Osaka Prefecture on suspicion of violating the Copyright Act for producing and selling pirated DVDs.
The man advertised his products with claims such as, “These are restored DVDs of black-and-white films that have been colorized using advanced video AI technology.” He was found to have duplicated and sold pirated DVDs—such as a colorized version of Godzilla, for which TOHO CO., LTD. holds the copyright—through flea market websites and similar platforms.
The pirated DVDs being sold were all based on classic black-and-white films from Japan and overseas. The man had promoted and sold them under the claim that they were “public domain works with expired copyright protection,” and therefore legal. However, in reality, many of the works in question are still under copyright protection.
Based on information received from outside sources, CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association) verified the production and sale of these pirated DVDs. In October 2024, CODA, through related organizations, issued a formal warning to the man, stating that his actions constituted copyright infringement and demanded that he immediately cease all related activity. However, the man continued his actions, leading CODA to request that the matter be treated as a criminal case through the National Police Agency. This ultimately resulted in the recent arrest by the Osaka police.
CODA will closely monitor the details of the investigation and any future criminal trial, and will continue working to ensure proper copyright protection while implementing effective countermeasures against similar acts of infringement.
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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.