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Man Sentenced for Uploading Gundam UC #3 on Nico Nico
posted on by Egan Loo
On Monday, the Tachikawa branch of the Tokyo District Court sentenced 46-year-old Kenji Igarashi for uploading the third episode of Mobile Suit Gundam UC without permission to the video-sharing site Nico Nico Douga.
Judge Haremitsu Mōri sentenced Igarashi to a one-year prison sentence, but suspended for three years. The prosecution had asked for a one-year prison sentence without suspension. If Imai is not convicted of another crime in the next three years, he will not have to serve the prison sentence. Mōri explained his sentence, "[The suspect's] carefree conduct demonstrated a problem with a normal awareness of the issues, and he seriously violated copyrights. However, he did not make profit out of it, and moreover, he regrets it."
According to the decision, Igarashi uploaded the third volume of Sunrise's Mobile Suit Gundam UC, "The Ghost of Laplace," from his personal computer in his Nagano Prefecture home twice on March 7 and March 8. (The anime had just opened in Japanese theaters on March 5, and the Blu-ray Disc release was available for advance purchase at the theaters.)
Source: Sankei Sports via Hachima Kikō
Update: Igarashi was originally arrested on August 23.
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