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19 Arrested for Unauthorized File-Sharing in Japan
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
As of Friday, police headquarters across Japan had arrested 19 suspects and filed charges against an additional 14 suspects under suspicion of violating Japan's copyright laws. The suspects are accused of using file-sharing software to distribute anime and films without copyright holders' permission.
The arrests were part of the 5th national police effort to expose copyright law violations involving file-sharing software. Police throughout Japan, except for Wakayama and Osaka Prefectures, took part in the initiative held around February 25-27. The sweep covered a total of 123 locations.
According to the National Police Agency, 24 suspects used the Share file-sharing software program, six used Cabos, and one person each used Perfect Dark and Winny. One male suspect allegedly used FC2, a video-streaming site run by the California-based FC2, Inc.
Aichi Prefectural Police arrested 51-year-old Nagoya company employee Kōichi Matsumoto as part of the sweep. He allegedly used his home computer to upload anime videos to the Internet without the copyright holders' authorization. Aichi Prefectural Police also arrested a 42-year-old male company employee under the same charge.
Sources: Nittere News 24, Mainichi Shimbun
