post Wednesday October 3, 2012
As of October 1st, anyone who possesses illegally downloaded music or movies in Japan could face up to two years in prison or fines up to two million yen ($25,700). Those who upload music and videos illegally would face even higher penalties, which is up to 10 years in prison and 10 million yen fine (more than $128,000). According to Mashable, one could face jail times by pirating just one file and – under one interpretation – using a service such as YouTube, which temporarily stores video files on the computer, could be illegal.
BBC reports that downloading copyrighted material has been illegal in Japan since early in 2012, but it did not impose such penalties. The change of law follows a lobbying campaign by country’s music industry. It is aimed at addressing the decrease of music sales in Japan – the world’s second largest music market. Based on a 2010 study cited by the Recording Industry Association of Japan, the ratio of illegal downloads to legal purchases is higher than ten to one.
Japan’s action is part of recording industry’s global fight against online piracy next to US and European Union’s Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), PIPA (Protect IP Act) and the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).
Image Source: Free Digital Photos
