It is finally 2021, and unsurprisingly, to me at least, the year is having a rough start. While one certain place had people ironically trying to violently destroy the very thing they claim to want, companies on the other side of the world were also striking down the people they should want. Honestly, people wildly astonish me, however, it does remind of a quote by Saya Takagi from High School of the Dead’s English dub, “…if I tell you that you’re stupid, maybe by some miracle you’ll be less stupid…” Oh if only it really worked like that. But, look at me already going off on a tangent without first clearly stating what I am actually going to discuss. Within the first couple weeks of 2021, a stream of copyright strikes, apparently from companies like Shueisha and Kadokawa, hit a bunch of Twitter users and content creators on YouTube.
Shueisha trended on Twitter after a storm of outraged fans posted about a stream of seemingly unjust copyright strikes that appeared from Shueisha. Posts innocently sharing pictures or GIFs containing characters from Shueisha properties, such as Dragon Ball, One Piece, and more, received these strikes. Fans were understandably upset and scared when these strikes threaten to suspend their accounts. However, not everything may be as it seems.
Twitter user Artur – Library of Ohara @newworldartur posted a link to a document titled “The Full Truth on the Shueisha Copyright Hoax.” Over the seven pages, it presents plenty of evidence and reasoning for why these copyright strikes were not actually from Shueisha but from an individual. At first it seems like a relief that Shueisha is not actually treating their fans poorly, but it is concerning that a lone individual is able to cause this much panic. Aside from this document, there is no finalized conclusion about the situation (Update - Shueisha told Anime News Network they had no involvement with the copyright strikes, and it was a third party.), so it is hard to be a hundred percent sure what really happened. I am leaning towards siding with this document, only to hope for the best if anything. Give the document a read, though. It is very well put together, covers plenty, and it is convincing. Although, there is one bit of evidence that could setup other implications.
A major piece of evidence presented that the emails of the claims contain the wrong phone and fax numbers for Shueisha. This is not something that would happen if these were from anyone associated with Shueisha, but it would happen to an individual fooled by a Google glitch. These numbers actually belong to Kadokawa, which was also on a copyright strike spree around the same time. Is this some kind of deep conspiracy developing from the anime industry? Probably not, but it is a weird coincidence.
After Shueisha finished with the spotlight, Kadokawa apparently wanted some of that attention. Even though never reaching full trending status like Shueisha, Kadokawa stole that spotlight after chucking grenades of copyright strikes at YouTubers who have videos about ReZero: Starting Life in Another World, Rising of the Shield Hero, or other Kadokawa properties. Unfortunately, it does not look like this is the work of some other mysterious individual, regardless of the coincidental number mix-up, because Kadokawa has a history of strict copyright strikes. Now people are wanting to stand up for themselves like @414Anime_ to combat these strikes by coming together with people like @SeaTacticsYT to keep from losing their channels. These are just a couple examples I easily found but search Kadokawa on Twitter and be immediately overwhelmed with other examples.
Now, it is time to play devil’s advocate a bit, but it is really just to understand and make sure the details are clear. People are saying they are getting copyright strikes, but it is important to remember there are also copyright claims, which others could actually be getting. I have no proof or reason to doubt people. However, copyright claims have a less serious impact, so I just want to make sure some people are not mixing them up because of this scare. I have gotten copyright claims a few times and, based off the reasoning for why I got them, can see how a lot of people would get copyright claims instead of the more extreme copyright strikes.
Another thing I feel like people are forgetting is that countries have different copyright laws. This is just me assuming, but a lot of people that got these strikes seem to be from the U.S. or U.K. I feel pretty well versed in U.S. copyright laws, especially since I want to protect my content, and I am sure a lot of other creators are also pretty familiar with them (although, it seems more like it is to avoid breaking them instead of using them for protection).
One part of U.S. copyright laws that is pretty common knowledge is fair use, but I cannot really find anything about if Japan has any fair use for things such as anime in their copyright laws. Japan does have revised copyright laws that started this year to ban illegally downloaded or pirated manga and leech sites, but it is okay to still use a few frames of manga. I have not found anything like for anime specifically, but I am also not at all knowledgeable on Japan’s copyright laws. This is something to keep in mind, though.
Another issue at play is the fact that YouTube is based in the U.S. while Kadokawa is based in Japan. Which countries’ laws have the priority in something like this? This opens an entire issue on whether or not there needs to be global copyright laws. The world is more connected now than ever before. This means people all over the globe can enjoy entertainment from other countries with almost more ease than from their own country.
This is true for me. I devour entertainment from Japan and Korea like Charmy turning a forest into a buffet, while I will pick at a plate of U.S. entertainment just because it is there and do not want to waste it, I guess. I am actually all for strict copyright laws that protect creators and their creations. I do not want other people stealing from them; they deserve to have the proper support. As a true fan, everyone should want to support what they enjoy even if it cost money, because that is how more is able to be made. No matter what the excuse is, illegally downloading, pirating, scanlation sites, and anything similar is stealing. These recent copyright strikes that are plaguing YouTubers do not fall under any of these, though.
So, does Kadokawa, or really any anime company, have complete exclusive rights to what they own? Okay, in a sort of hypothetical, say yes. Does this mean these companies should be striking down any instance a picture and clip from something they own is used? In my opinion, looking at it from a business standpoint, it would be stupid to do. The things getting strikes are not full episodes uploaded by thieves, but videos made by fans enjoying and celebrating what they love. Sure, there can be videos that hold some criticism, I have some, but they are overall mostly positive. The videos and creators they are striking down are not hurting anything, only helping. These companies are not only wasting time and energy, but they are wasting it to get rid of free marketing. Like I just stated, it seems stupid from a business perspective.
Remember that quote in the beginning? Maybe it could work. Maybe if enough of us keep calling out the stupid, it will become less stupid. Well, who knows? This is just one of my Otaku News Opinions!
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