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18 Arrested in Japan for Uploading via Share Program

posted on by Egan Loo
Since Tuesday, police in Japan have arrested 18 individuals on suspicion of using the Share file-sharing software to upload films, music, anime, games, business software, and other content on the Internet without the copyright holders' permission. The arrests were part of a police sweep of 50 locations in 23 prefectures. According to the Anti Counterfeiting Association, the following male suspects were arrested:

1. 31-year-old part-time worker from Akita (Bakuman., Star Driver Kagayaki no Takuto)
2. 32-year-old company worker from Moriya (Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz Special Edition, Gundam UC, Toaru Majutsu no Index)
3. 33-year-old unemployed man from Utsunomiya (Sgt. Frog, Toaru Kagaku no Railgun)
4. 25-year-old taxi driver from Tokyo (Cross Game, Dragon Ball Kai, Gundam 00 Second Season, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Evangelion)
5. 43-year-old company worker from Takaoka (Black Butler II)
6. 48-year-old company worker from Sakai (Negima!, Detective Conan, "Yokosuka Story," "Ano Hi ni Kaeritai," & another song)
7. 44-year-old unemployed man from Yokohama (Cold Case, The Mentalist)
8. 42-year-old unemployed man from Hekinan (SD Gundam Gashapon Wars, God Eater Burst, Wii Party, Dragon Quest Monster Battle Road Victory, Tactics Ogre: Unmei no Rin)
9. 29-year-old company worker from Kyōtango (Bloody Monday, Iryū)
10. 34-year-old company worker from Aioi (One Piece, Sengoku Basara 3)
11. 50-year-old unemployed man from Okayama (ZENRIN Denshi Chizu-Chō Zi)
12. 28-year-old company worker from Minamiuwa District (Vagabond, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin)
13. 37-year-old self-employed man from Kōchi (Bleach, Sgt. Frog)
14. 28-year-old company worker from Nagasaki (Big Windup!, Freedom, Black Lagoon)
15. 33-year-old unemployed man from Miyazaki (Gundam 00 Second Season)
16. 58-year-old civil worker from Kagoshima (IBM Homepage Builder 12, ATOK 2010 for Windows Premium)
17. 29-year-old chef from Moriguchi (Star Driver Kagayaki no Takuto, Arakawa Under the Bridge)
* The 18th suspect has not been described.

The first three people to be arrested for allegedly using the Share file-sharing program were arrested in May of 2008 in three different prefectures. These three previous suspects reportedly shared anime from the Gundam franchise. 11 people were arrested in November of 2009 for also using Share after 26 locations were searched. Three more people were arrested last October for using Share to distribute anime, games, business software, and manga online.

An earlier peer-to-peer file-sharing software called Winny was developed in 2002 by a then anonymous computer engineering student. The software promised anonymity for its users, but the High-Tech Crime Task Force found flaws in its integrated forum feature. After two users were arrested for sharing copyrighted material using Winny in 2003, the developer was identified as Isamu Kaneko of the University of Tokyo and also arrested. He was convicted and sentenced with a 1.5-million-yen (about US$12,000) fine. During Kaneko's arrest and trial, another anonymous developer created the Share program which promised better protection of users' anonymity on Winny's file-sharing network.

Since security researchers also found flaws in Share in 2006, other successor applications are being developed. However, three people have been arrested for allegedly using one of those successors, Perfect Dark.

Japan's Copyright Law prohibits unauthorized uploaders but expressly allowed people to download for private use until last January.

Source: animeanime.biz

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