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2 Japanese Parties Propose Penalties for Illegal Downloads
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
Japan's Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito Party are proposing a bill that would impose a prison term of up to two years or a fine of up to 2 million yen (about US$26,000) for people who illegally download music and video files. In order to gain the approval of the leading Democratic Party, the groups plan to present the bill to the Japanese parliament when its ordinary session convenes next year.
The Japanese parliament passed an amendment to Japan's Copyright Law that made it illegal to knowingly download copyrighted material without authorization for the first time in 2010. However, the current law does not include penalties for illegal downloading. The new proposition's proponents want to expand on that law by creating penalties for downloading. Japan already allows prosecution against people who upload copyrighted material without authorization.
Source: Jiji Press via Yaraon!
