Summary
In Japan, two foreign residents have been arrested forbreaking a serious lawregarding manga. The two are suspected of uploading images from the popular manga magazineWeekly Shonen Jumpbefore the magazine was publicly published. The suspected people are currently being held while waiting for the final trial.
The news came via NHK, Japan’s biggest news website. The news was big enough that it was also officially translated into English for NHK World, the foreign-language news website that usually only picks up on the biggest stories in Japan. Because the suspects are foreign, and becauseit is related to mangaand anime, the news of their arrest has already gathered a lot of interest and attention, setting it apart from more typical crimes that have also occurred.
How Did the Leakers Break Street Date?
No matter what country you are in,rules related to the release date of any media(called its “street date”) are very strict. Video games, books, TV shows, movies, and even manga and anime all have to abide by rules related to street dates. Breaking these rules can result in anything from serious fines to jail time; it is not a minor crime, even though it may seem so at first.
The official accusation against the two foreigners is for copyright infringement. One of them, Moussa Samir, works for a company called Japan Deal World that sells anime goods from Japan to the rest of the world. The suspicion is that Samir and his accomplice used their connections to get a hold of theissues ofWeekly Shonen Jumpin advance of its scheduled publication.
The two have been accused oftaking the images fromWeekly Shonen Jumpand publishing them online before their official street date. Not only were the images circulating online, they were in full color, and had been translated into several languages already. They were also uploaded on multiple websites and social media networks as well. Thus, the two have been arrested not only for uploading the images but for distributing them on multiple platforms.
So far, both have denied some of the charges against them, claiming that they are not responsible for the images becoming public on the internet. How exactly they obtained the magazines and to what extent they are behind the online leak is currently being investigated.
Shueisha’s Response to the Situation
Shueisha, the company that publishesWeekly Shonen Jumpalongside other prominent Shonen manga magazines such asJump SQ.,V Jump, andJump Giga, issued a statement on February 5 condemning the alleged leakers' actions. The company stated that it “deprives readers who are eagerly awaiting the release date of the magazine of the enjoyment they can usually come to expect from the publication.” With regards to the various mangaka affected by the leaks, Shueisha stated that they were “very upset about the situation”.
But it seems as though Shueisha andJump’smangaka weren’t the only ones upset with this situation, as some of the magazine’s readers have allegedly voiced their concerns as well. The publisher apparently received more than 1,000 complaints from readers regarding the leaks, with one irritated reader threatening to cancel their subscription. The frustration stems from spoilers for certain series being spread through social media well before the official release. As these leaks are posted on various social networking services, users could potentially be recommended spoilers for their favorite series.
It is an unforgivable act that could shake the very structure of the industry itself.
The head of Shueisha’s Intellectual Property Division, Minya Tomishige stated that while Shueisha does report these social media accounts, the uploaders “delete the images before the request is made” which makes it difficult for the publisher to get a hold of the situation at hand. Said Tomishige, “The fact that works are being read for free has resulted in a situation where the authors are not receiving fair profit. We believe that taking pictures of manga works without permission and leaking them on SNS constitutes an infringement of copyright, and we ask that such behavior be stopped.”
