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Moyashimon Creator Wins Lawsuit Against Filmmaker
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
Tokyo District Court ordered film director Takashi Kuroki on November 22 to pay Moyashimon manga creator Masayuki Ishikawa reparations for creating and screening a film based on Ishikawa's "Kanojo no Kokuhaku" (Her Confession) short without permission. Kuroki was also ordered to dispose of existing copies of the film, titled Kisei (Homecoming). The defendant agreed to the judge's decision without seeking an appeal.
Morning editor-in-chief Eijirō Shimada posted details regarding the lawsuit on the magazine's website on December 25. "Kanojo no Kokuhaku" was first published in the "Weekly Masayuki Ishikawa" section (compilation pictured above right) of Kodansha's Morning magazine. Shimada said that "Kanojo no Kokuhaku" marked an important turning point in Ishikawa's career as his literary style changed when he moved on to the related Moyashimon manga.
In September 2012, Ishikawa's readers pointed out that Kisei bears a resemblance to "Kanojo no Kokuhaku." "Kanojo no Kokuhaku" centers on the son of a couple who live out in the country. The son returns home looking like a female. The story structure and dialogue of Kisei resemble Ishikawa's work, and the character names are the same.
After readers brought the similarities to Ishikawa's attention, he and the editorial team of Kodansha's Evening magazine approached Kuroki for an explanation. The filmmaker repeatedly denied that he had encroached on any copyrights. Kuroki's denial unavoidably led to a lawsuit so that the problem could be resolved.
When the Moyashimon manga switched to Morning 2 magazine this past June, the publication's editors began to cooperate with Ishikawa on the lawsuit until their victory last month. Shimada concluded his response to the lawsuit by affirming the Morning editorial department's commitment to support manga creators and fight against copyright violations.
Source: IT Media
