Tokyo/19 March 2018/ — For the first time ever in history, Japan’s Content Overseas Distribution Association (“CODA”: Yoshishige SHIMATANI & Takero GOTO, Representative Directors) and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (“METI”), in co-operation with Chinese and Korean governments, shall start a co-operative campaign concerning the protection of IPRs with popular anime characters from respective countries on 24 March 2018.
■For Children (3 countries)
Japan, China and Korea have joined forces to create a poster (below) as well as a 60” video to promote the protection of IPRs and the future thereof utilising “Detective Conan” from Japan, “ Havoc in Heaven (Monkey King)” from China and “Pororo the Little Penguin” from Korea urging “Don’t watch illicit sites!”, “Don’t buy pirated copies!” and “Don’t buy fake goods!”
■For Adults (Japan)
CODA and METI have also created a poster as well as a video for adults with ‘Conan Edogawa’ and ‘Kid the Phantom Thief’ from “Detective Conan” to appeal that ‘not watching illicit sites and pirated copies’ is the best counter-measures against piracy.
■Implementation
The Videos shall be premiered on 24 March on a wide variety of video platforms worldwide, including but not limited to YouTube, and shall also be screened at the AnimeJapan 2018 at Tokyo Big Sight.
In addition, the videos shall be posted and screened at various events in Japan and abroad in the future and shall be distributed to educational institutions and others.
■Background
This multi-national co-operative campaign was agreed by the three countries at the “10th Japan-China-Korea Cultural Content Industry Forum” held in Tokyo in June 2017 to ‘implement a tri-national co-operative PR and awareness campaign for IP protection’.
“Currently, copyright infringement on illicit sites that harbour illegally uploaded contents is becoming a prevailing problem all over the world” said Takero GOTO, Representative Director of CODA. “Having effective counter-measures including revision of copyright law is urgently needed in Japan and elsewhere.”
A spokesperson at METI said “Copyright infringement carried out across borders has wreaked widespread malignancy and sophistication and has seriously damaged right holders. However, it is the most effective solution for this problem that everyone from children to adults ‘do not watch illicit sites and do not buy pirated copies’, and same shall be the strongest support for the future of contents such as films, animation, manga, music, broadcast programmes and games.”
■Organisers
【Japan】
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
Content Overseas Distribution Association（CODA)
【China】The National Copyright Authority of the People’s Republic of China
【Korea】Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
■Support / Co-operation
【Japan】Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters, National Police Agency, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and Agency for Cultural Affairs 【China】China Copyright Association
【Korea】Korea Copyright Commission, Korea Copyright Protection Agency and Copyright Overseas promotion Association