Interest

Broccoli Lays Down the Law for Dōjin

Media creators have differing views on fan culture and the dōjinshi that are its hallmarks. While some embrace it and see dōjin as fascinating explorations of their own ideas, others suppress it as copyright infringement and intellectual theft. Broccoli, the creators of Uta no Prince Sama, Galaxy Angel, Di Gi Charat, and other popular franchises, have taken a hard line on dōjin, and laid down its guidelines in a recent post on its official website.

Regarding two-dimensional works based on our company's properties, we permit only distribution without a financial motive or for private use. Please be aware that we do not allow the sale of goods, figures, cosplay, etc., for the intent of profit and over the Internet or otherwise. Furthermore, we prohibit direct appropriation of materials from our properties (such as illustrations, videos, voices, or music) or using them by scanning or tracing. Also, regarding the content [of the fan works], please refrain from any depiction that deviates from our properties' image or that damages our characters' images. If [fan works] meet our guidelines, there is no need to contact Broccoli. These guidelines pertain to properties that Broccoli has rights over.

Broccoli has long maintained an active policy against copyright infringement. The new free-trade agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership has prompted a review of Japanese copyright laws to bring them more in line with international standards. For more on the laws governing dōjin and other fan works, see our series on The Law of Anime.

[Via Nijimen]