[121001] 2NE1 Mentioned in VPR News Report: Japan Introduces Stiff Fines, Jail Time For Illegal Downloads

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[121001] 2NE1 Mentioned in VPR News Report: Japan Introduces Stiff Fines, Jail Time For Illegal Downloads

tazanya - 3rd October 2012 - 2 Comments

Note – This article isn’t about 2NE1 in particular, reposting because it mentioned the girls and because some of you may be affected by this new crackdown on illegal downloads.

Beginning, today, illegally downloading a copy of your favorite new song could land you in jail in Japan.

The country has instituted a new law that punishes those downloaders with up to two years in prison or fines of up to $25,700. CNN reports that the move is an effort to curb music piracy in the country.

South Korean pop group 2NE1 performs during the MTV Video Music Awards Japan show in Makuhari, near Tokyo, in June.

CNN adds:

“The new law is a victory for the recording industry’s global fight against online piracy, which has seen setbacks in the U.S. and European Union where the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), respectively, has run afoul of the public, which fears it will curb online freedom and privacy.

“The Recording Industry Association of Japan says the download music market shrank 16% in 2011, the second consecutive year of decline. The slide comes despite global sales of digital music increasing 8% last year to $5.2 billion, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). Globally, one in four internet users “regularly access unlicensed services,” according to an IFPI/Nielsen survey.

“The Japanese music industry is hoping to replicate the success of South Korea, which has seen its global market ranking jump to 11th in the world from 23rd after the country cracked down on download piracy beginning in 2007, according the IFIP’s 2012 “Digital Music Report.”

Torrent Freak, a blog that reports on online downloading, points out that there is something important and different about this law: Most countries already consider uploading copyrighted content illegal. But this makes downloading content illegal and also punishes the action with what Torrent Freak calls “one of the most draconian [punishments] in the world.”

The BBC reports that the punishments for uploading are even more severe. The BBC says that “in Japan illegal uploads of copyright infringing music and videos carry a maximum 10 year prison sentence and a 10 million yen fine.”

The BBC adds that critics of the law like the Japan Federation of Bar Associations believe that the country should have kept the punishment for illegal downloading a civil matter, not a criminal matter as it has now become.

Do you think this will have a significant effect on illegal downloading in Japan? Do you think Japan should make it easier to get their music, especially for us ifans?

Source: vpr.net (a subsidiary of National Public Radio)
Reposted by staff@ygladies.com

About tazanya

A Blackjack since DAY 1, I am a YGLADIES.COM administrator, writer, a little bit of everything. Contact me at @ygltazanya or anonymously at http://ask.fm/YGLtazanya View all posts by tazanya

Nyla

Personally I think the jail time is pretty excessive. I applaud them for doing their best to keep peoples copyrights safe but thats a bit too much…

“Do you think Japan should make it easier to get their music, especially for us ifans?”
YES!! If they made more things available on the international market I think piracy of Japanese creative material would decrease significantly. As a foreign fan who speaks no Japanese whatsoever I can honestly say that Japan makes it unbelievably difficult to get their music legally. I don’t even listen to Japanese music anymore because its so hard to get your hands on it.
Physical albums you can always order online (though shipping is ridiculous OTL) but for digital albums and singles unless you have access to a Japanese iTunes its practically impossible. They keep everything locked up so unless you have some sort of tie to Japan you have no way to get it.
This is especially bad for us ifans because they don’t always release the full MVs online because they want to sell them. I remember when “Scream” came out I had already preordered both Collection and two types of Scream and all I wanted was to watch the full music video. Could I? NOOOOOPE. Not without a Japanese iTunes. Avex made sure of that. So I did what any other reasonably determined person would do. 1080p HD lol
But honestly even if I had a Japanese iTunes I lack and iPod/phone/whatever and have no intentions of getting one. Since Apple keeps all their stuff locked down I guess it would do me no good (though thats a whole other argument to get into…). I think that not just for Japan but for the rest of the world too *coughkoreacough* they shouldn’t rely on JUST itunes for their only international market as well.
- Kon_chan
  
  I agree. I love J-rock and J-pop a lot, but the Japanese music industry really makes their content difficult to access. I can’t even find a full length PV on youtube, much less one in HD.
  
  I usually listen to songs online (sorta like sampling them) before I buy the CD or buy from iTunes, coz I don’t like spending money on music that I don’t like. I’ve been buying CDs from HMV Japan coz they offer discounts, but the shipping fees are really killing me. For example, I bought Alice Nine’s latest album a couple of months back and I ended up spending almost JPY5000. I don’t like using standard air mail or registered air mail coz it takes forever. EMS is the best, but it’s really expensive. My poor wallet. TT_TT
  
  Why is music so expensive? huhuhu