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NEWS: Japan Aims for Copyright-Relaxed 'Special Cyber Zones'




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samuelp
Industry Insider


Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 2228
Location: San Antonio, USA
PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 6:05 am Reply with quote
Except the promised "mass" removal of infringing videos never happened. As far as I can tell niconico douga didn't remove any more videos than they were doing before. All the MADs, songs, heck even a few full episodes were still up there.

The whole announcement they made earlier was just a giant PR stunt it seems and niconico has taken no actual steps to remove infringing videos, as far as I can see.

And this "cyber safe zone" sounds like a place for businesses with a high enough bribe to the goverment to get a pass to, and/or a method for the government to extend "protection" to certain business interests that might be skirting the law...

I.e. it's just a way for the Japanese gov. to cover their ass. I wonder if crunchyroll will sign up for this new "zone" and in one fell swoop legalize its entire operation?

Actually god forbid if that happens then fansubbers would actually be able to legally fansub, it seems, as long as they only put up their videos on companies websites that are in this "zone".

Perhaps the government only intended it to protect the rights of derivative works like MADs or AMVs, but it seems like a hard line to draw legally.
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hikaru004



Joined: 15 Mar 2004
Posts: 2306
PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 7:20 am Reply with quote
Well, sites like Crunchyroll, Nico Nico and YouTube might as well try to apply for it. They have nothing to lose.

In their current situation, they are just losing business to other sites with all the takedowns that are targeting them while the other sites just smile and accept the increase in traffic (and revenue).
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samuelp
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Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 2228
Location: San Antonio, USA
PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:07 am Reply with quote
hikaru004 wrote:
Well, sites like Crunchyroll, Nico Nico and YouTube might as well try to apply for it. They have nothing to lose.

In their current situation, they are just losing business to other sites with all the takedowns that are targeting them while the other sites just smile and accept the increase in traffic (and revenue).

I'll bet you a bazillion dollars only Japanese owned companies would be eligible.
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vincent iii



Joined: 28 Apr 2007
Posts: 37
PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 11:03 am Reply with quote
I'm happy there is atleast one country in our world that understands the internet/p2p can be quite useful and that you just can't shut it down.
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Dargonxtc



Joined: 13 Apr 2006
Posts: 4463
Location: Nc5xd7+ スターダストの海洋
PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 11:41 am Reply with quote
So they want to become more like that country in Europe that has become a pirate haven? Perhaps to a lesser extent. (Sweden iirc)
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Richard J.



Joined: 11 Aug 2006
Posts: 3367
Location: Sic Semper Tyrannis.
PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 12:49 pm Reply with quote
vincent iii wrote:
I'm happy there is atleast one country in our world that understands the internet/p2p can be quite useful and that you just can't shut it down.
Actually it's not so much that they can't shut it down, it's more like the repercussions are currently more than they are willing to tolerate. Truth be told, there are more ways to cripple the Internet than most people would believe, they just have so many negatives attached that no one considers them seriously. (Sort of like using nuclear weapons on a terrorist training camp. It insures that nothing survives but it's just excessive and would create more problems than it solved.)

Most countries want to find a way to keep the Internet mostly unregulated and free while protecting basic rights necessary for the economy to function. Japan is seeking a balance and this might be a good first start. (Or it could be a big failure that historians will note as the beginning of shift to massive regulation in Japan. Time will tell.)

Time and technology will eventually either solve the issues at hand or force a radical restructuring of society.
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kokuryu



Joined: 07 Apr 2007
Posts: 915
PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 1:15 pm Reply with quote
samuelp wrote:
The whole announcement they made earlier was just a giant PR stunt it seems and niconico has taken no actual steps to remove infringing videos, as far as I can see.


Yes, this was a PR stunt by the rights owners. Nico Nico was contacted both during and afterwards and given explicit permission to continue hosting certain videos. Only those that were expressly banned were removed.
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Josh7289



Joined: 27 Aug 2005
Posts: 1252
PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 1:28 pm Reply with quote
Wow, downloading pirated material for private use is legal in Japan right now? Wow, I had no idea. Man, that's just insane... Shocked

Oh, and about the current lack of a fair-use clause in Japan's Copyright Law, is that why the Japanese Wikipedia has barely any images, at least for games, anime, manga, etc.?
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