Four defendants and the operating company were found guilty at the second trial held at the Sendai District Court on August 3, 2026.
The defendants had been referred to the Sendai District Public Prosecutors Office by the Miyagi Prefectural Police Headquarters and the Minamisanriku Police Station on May 20, 2025, on suspicion of copyright infringement, and were subsequently indicted. They had transcribed the entire storylines of copyrighted films in detail without authorization from the rights holders and published the transcriptions together with related images on a website operated by the company. The court handed down the following sentences:
- Company Executive A: Two years’ imprisonment, suspended for three years, and a fine of JPY 1 million
- Employee B: One year’s imprisonment, suspended for two years
- Writer C: Fine of JPY 500,000
- Writer D: Fine of JPY 300,000
- Operating Company: Fine of JPY 1 million
At the first trial held on July 24, the defendants admitted the charges. Furthermore, through the investigation and court proceedings, it was revealed that the defendants had conspired to commit copyright infringement in an organized manner and operated the website for commercial purposes.
This case was prosecuted following an investigation by the Miyagi Prefectural Police Headquarters and the Minamisanriku Police Station. It is an extremely rare case in which a corporation was also referred to prosecutors and indicted for copyright infringement. CODA assisted the investigation by coordinating with the affected rights holders and providing other support.
Posting detailed text covering the entire storyline of movies, from beginning to end, and making such content publicly available enables users to understand almost the entire content of a work without watching it. Such acts discourage the use of legitimate services and reduce consumers’ willingness to pay appropriate compensation for content, thereby causing serious harm to the content industry. These acts constitute clear copyright infringement that exceeds the scope of lawful quotation.
In addition, on April 16, 2026, a man who operated another website of the same nature and was arrested and indicted on suspicion of copyright infringement was sentenced to one year and six months’ imprisonment, suspended for four years, and a fine of JPY 1 million. Furthermore, on July 16, 2025, a male writer who created articles published on that website was also found guilty and sentenced to a fine of JPY 500,000.
CODA hopes that the guilty verdicts in this case will serve as a strong warning against such malicious copyright infringement and help deter similar infringing activities. The use of these types of websites not only supports advertising revenue generated by operators through infringing activities, but also harms the interests of rights holders who create content and undermines the healthy development of culture. CODA hopes that society will further understand the importance of enjoying works through legitimate channels.
CODA will continue to work toward protecting Japanese content and promoting healthy and legitimate distribution.
This activity was carried out as part of a project commissioned by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
■ Reference: Five People and a Company Referred to Prosecutors for Copyright Infringement by Posting Full Movie Summaries Online Without Authorization
https://coda-cj.jp/en/news/725/
■ Reference: Conviction of Operator of Text Extraction Site from Movies and Other Works
https://coda-cj.jp/en/news/896/
(Translated using an automatic translation system.)
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.