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FC2 Video Site Sued by 7 Production Firms in Japan
posted on by Egan Loo
Seven video and film production companies filed a lawsuit against FC2, a major American-based video-sharing company, for 65 million yen (about US$670,000) in damages for allegedly posting video content without permission. The lawsuit can be filed due to a change in the law which allows even an overseas company to be sued in Japan, if it provides services for Japan.
The companies which took legal action are seven Japanese production companies which registered themselves under the Intellectual Property Promotion Association. These companies claim 65 million yen in damages against the company with its headquarters located in United States, since it has provided its services to Japanese market. The plaintiffs specifically cited 35 videos, which they produced, that were allegedly posted on FC2 without permission.
The trial had its first arguments in the Tokyo District Court this month. FC2 is showing its intent to fight the lawsuit; it asserts that its headquarters and servers are located in the United States, which do not allow the legal action to be taken in Japan.
When NHK inquired about the lawsuit, FC2 said that it is "not in a position to make comments due to pending litigation."
