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CBLDF Streams Documentary Short About Ryan Matheson Case

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) began streaming a nearly 13-minute "Defending Manga: The Ryan Matheson Story" documentary short on Tuesday. CBLDF notes that the documentary was made possible by a contribution from the Neil Gaiman Foundation.

The video focuses on the legal case of Ryan Matheson, who was charged in April 2010 with possessing and importing child pornography by Canadian Customs after his bag and laptop were searched while crossing the Canadian border. The customs officer characterized manga found on his computer as child pornography. Matheson's charges were dropped in March 2012. Matheson's legal costs in the case totaled more than US$75,000.

Since the charges were dropped, Matheson has been appearing at various CBLDF panels at conventions to discuss his case.