Job Discussion Forums

[mushroomyakuza]

Hi all

I keep hearing some mixed up information about downloading in Japan. Is it legal, or illegal? I'd heard that generally, they had really cracked down on people who download and it's a serious thing resulting in big fines. Then I heard that it's legal to download, but illegal to upload.

Can anyone clarify this in respect of P2P networks, torrents and direct downloads etc?

[G Cthulhu]

Really? You need to ask?

Downloading anything copyrighted is, like most countries, illegal.

Downloading itself is neither here nor there. ISP's are more likely to come down on you if they get an infringement notice from a right holder, but aside from that, it's much the same as anywhere.

[mc]

How about watching copyrighted stuff on video hosting sites w/o downloading? Like YouTube, except with website operators who don't care about protecting copyrights. Is that likely to get someone in the same kind of legal trouble as downloading or is that more of a gray area?

[natsume]

Man, I hope not, or I, and almost everyone I know, is in some deep shxt!

(On a side note, I frequent some music related forums and I get the strong impression that many younger people today, serious music fans, have never actually bought any music. Ever. )

[Pitarou]

[mushroomyakuza]

Yes, I am aware that downloading is generally illegal, thanks for the reminder though.

I'm asking specifically about it in Japan and people's attitudes towards it, as well as any legal loopholes that people jump through to avoid getting out of trouble.

Have a look at this article:

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/10/23/japan-the-illegal-download-explained-on-2-channel/

[Pitarou]

For what it's worth, I remember reading that a Japanese distributor of a device that allows you to play pirated games on the Nintendo DS was prosecuted. In other countries, including the US, distribution of this device goes on unabated.

That probably says more about the influence of Nintendo's lawyers in Japan than about attitudes to copyright law in general....

[Threnody]

I always found it interesting that it's easily possible to rent CDs in Japan for low prices. If you want to try out some new music and don't mind burning a tiny amount of money, rental places can be handy. They were for me.

[gaijinalways]

I was talking to someone about this , but more about burned material. He said that the law here can bring a 50,000 yen fin per disc of illegally copied material. I know they have prosecuted file sharing sites, bu that was targeting more the people who set up said sites than the users themselves.

[ssjup81]

I'm scared to try downloading anything now, but at least one plus side to being in Japan is that it'd be easier to purchase cds instead of downloading (like I would here at home) and buying them sometime down the road later since it's expensive due to S&H and import fees.