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Kobe Anime Street Drops Eye Logo After Modern Artist Murakami Claims Plagiarism

World-renowned contemporary artist Takashi Murakami launched a complaint against the Kobe Anime Street company in July, claiming that the company's stylized "eye" logo allegedly plagiarizes artistic elements in Murakami's own works, and is thus copyright infringement.

Representatives of Murakami contacted the Kobe Anime Street company in July to discuss the complaint. Murakami's lawyers stated, "It is copyright infringement. It is impossible for this logo to have been made without previous knowledge of Mr. Murakami's works." Kobe Anime Street responded by stating, "We commissioned the logo from the KOBE Tetsujin Project non-profit organization. It is not an imitation of Mr. Murakami's works."

Upon further discussion, both parties came to agreement earlier this month, and Kobe Anime Street revealed that it will cease using the logo next March, one year after its opening. Kobe Anime Street also revealed that it had already been planning to redesign the logo. Murakami's lawyers stated that they "are glad that Kobe Anime Street understood, and that they will be able to smoothly modify the logo."

The Kobe Anime Street opened earlier this year in March in the Asta Kunizuka buildings in the Nagata ward of Kobe City. The location contains shops that cater to anime goods and services, including a cosplay shop, an "anisong cafe," and a shop that specializes in ita-sha (decorated cars). The Kobe Anime Street company manages the space.

Source: The Kobe Shimbun via Hachima Kikō