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Movie Studios Sue Online Summarizers for 500 Million Yen
posted on by Alex Mateo
Thirteen movie studios are suing three people who have produced 10-minute, edited summary versions of their films called "fast movies" ("fast eiga") for 500 million yen (about US$3.9 million). The studios, which include TOHO and Nikkatsu, filed the lawsuit on May 19. Police had arrested the "fast movie" online summarizers in June 2021 for illegally uploading content and committing copyright infringment.
The movie studios determined the amount in damages by checking the number of online views for "fast movies" of 54 films that have screened in Japan, such as Shin Godzilla (pictured right). The studios judged each view as worth 200 yen (about US$2). Some "fast movies" have reached over 2.65 million views.
Unauthorized recording of films in theaters is a crime in Japan, under the Act on Prevention of Unauthorized Recording of Films. Uploading such footage to YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and other services are also copyright violations. People who violate the unauthorized recording law and Japan's general Copyright Law face up to 10 years in prison, up to 10 million yen (about US$90,000) in fines, or both.
