AfterDawn: News

Tokyo man receives suspended sentence for anime file sharing

The Kyoto District Court has sentenced the second of three defendants for anime file sharing today, but has suspended the sentence for three years.

Kazuhiro Maki was sentenced to 18 months in prison for unauthorized uploading of Gundam and other popular animes over the once popular file-sharing program Share.



According to the ruling, Maki infringed on copyrights for at least 3 months by helping "countless" users download the anime footage originally aired on TV.

On July 16th, Judge Kōji Shibata ordered the first defendant, Moriyoshi Inoha, to serve 18 months in prison but also gave a three year suspended sentence. The third defendant, Takahiro Ōtomo, is still awaiting sentencing.

Share was once a very popular file-sharing program in Japan because it promised high anonymity for its users. When researchers began finding flaws in the program in 2006, its popularity died out.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 26 Jul 2008 11:56

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• 8 comments

• lynchGOP

  Ummmm............yeah.............that just sucks!
  
  Frankly, this is NOT my opinion and simply the way it is and should be...............................This is MY law.
  
  Programs aired on TV.........they're up for grabs, public domain, available to all. Those who want to record, display, distribute, share, etc. should be allowed. You don't want peeps doing that, well then sell it to the MPAA with specific "Movie" licensing and DON'T AIR IT TO EVERYONE AND THEY'RE FRAKKIN' MOTHERS.
  
  Maybe I'm just a crazy ass but this planet would be better off with a certain 'select' few deciding which 3.25 billion to wipe out. Politicians first, criminals second, those behind the RIAA and MPAA third.............IN THAT ORDER.

  26.7.2008 12:36 #1

• attar

  Quote:Tokyo man receives suspended sentence Hope he wasn't picked-up by the fuzz and suspended by his privy parts.

  26.7.2008 12:56 #2

• stuntman_

  all of this over some silly cartoons I will never understand the Japenese

  26.7.2008 13:41 #3

• lecsiy

  Quote:Programs aired on TV.........they're up for grabs, public domain, available to all. Those who want to record, display, distribute, share, etc. should be allowed. You don't want peeps doing that, well then sell it to the MPAA with specific "Movie" licensing and DON'T AIR IT TO EVERYONE AND THEY'RE FRAKKIN' MOTHERS. I guess its no different to radio rips of new songs. Although we wish it'd be you said, sadly it never will :(

  26.7.2008 13:56 #4

• windsong

  As stated before in another thread..corporations are the biggest hypocrites on planet earth. They provide ALL the necessary tools to copy/pirate/whatever. Sony DVD writers are down to less than 30 bucks now and blu-ray discs are 10 bucks each. Do the corporations expect us not to utilize those to our advantage? Of course they want to whine and profit at the same time. Cry about piracy, yet provide the tools to the masses to engage in piracy. Um..wut? Did I miss something here?
  Funny, I dont recall a massive outcry from the MPAA/RIAA in the 80s with dual cassette boomboxes.

  26.7.2008 14:04 #5

• DXR88

  Not only was it aired in public domain. it was also legacy anime.
  
  So dame stupid they will sue your ass, over nothing these days.

  26.7.2008 15:12 #6

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by stuntman_: all of this over some silly cartoons I will never understand the Japenese
  and their "cartoons" are better than day time TV and most of prime time TV, funny that....

  27.7.2008 03:28 #7

• DoomLight

  jeeze louise anime and jail for 3 years. thats insane
  
  i think the japanese regard anime to a high standard to do that to someone for sharing a cartoon.
  
  i personally leech. never share. and have well over 4 terabytes of anime. but whatever.
  
  thats just nuts for a so called pacifist nation. even 18 months is hard. just do what us americans do and slap on a fine. jail time for free cartoons is just plain fudal japan evil

  28.7.2008 00:00 #8