The game live, may be accused December 4, 16:02
Do you know
"Game commentary".
It is the act of shooting the situation while playing a game and distributing it to YouTube etc.
In fighting games and sports games, the poster shows the technique and the viewer enjoys the technique.
This way of enjoying has spread all over the world, and it is said that there are more than 800 million enthusiasts.
From major YouTubers to the general public, we post in a competitive manner, and the game commentary is gaining recognition as a new entertainment, but in reality, copyright problems are becoming a problem.
Your post may be criminal prosecuted.
(Social Department reporter Yusuke Tabata)
"Consider criminal accusation" Sudden warning
This September, an email was sent to a man in his twenties who lives in Kanagawa prefecture.
"We are considering criminal prosecution for copyright infringement because you ignored the warning and continued live distribution because it is highly malicious. If you have any remorse, we will immediately take action. Please contact your job. "
The email from a lawyer who was an agent for a game company said:
The man says, "It was just water in my ears."
However, I had an idea.
That "game live" that I went about two and a half months ago.
"What we are doing, Death Come True. Dangerous, Datte delivery refrain. In trouble, quit delivery?"
"I was troubled, unable If you told me to refrain .... Even, or do well"
(illegal distribution videos Male voice in)
The game commentary posted by a man is a software called "Death Come True" released by the game production company "Izanagi Games".
At the beginning, there was a warning to refrain from distributing the play video, and the man was at a loss for a moment, but in the end it was distributed for about 2 hours as it was.
This game will be released in June this year.
In a live-action game featuring famous actors, players choose the options in the story, advance the story, and aim for the ending.
The game company became "spoilers" if the story was revealed by the game commentary, and felt a sense of crisis when the users were discouraged from purchasing.
Independent interview with a lawyer and a man who is illegally delivered
The company filed a complaint with an American court as "copyright infringement" and identified a man after receiving information disclosure from YouTube.
I sent an email to consider a criminal complaint.
One month after this email, in late October, a man visited a law firm in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and met a lawyer in a conference room.
Men are in suits.
I was nervous because I had the impression that I was a little weak and serious young man.
It is the exchange that took place there.
* We are interviewing with permission from both parties
(Attorney) How
did you
feel after receiving the contact from me until today?
(Male) I'm full of regrets.
(Attorney) Why did you upload illegally?
(Male) I thought it wouldn't be a crime, I didn't see so many people, I thought it wouldn't be 10 at most, and I thought it would be okay if I deleted it immediately. I thought about it and continued as it was.
(Attorney) Did you recognize that it was illegal or bad that you were wondering, "Do you want to stop distribution?" After the announcement that distribution was prohibited?
(Male) Yes, that's right.
(Attorney) Did you think that it would lead to a crime?
(Male) I didn't expect it to be a crime or even a copyright infringement.
The man politely apologized to the company.
The company estimates that the amount of damage caused by this illegal distribution by men is several million yen.
However, he decided not to file the criminal accusation he was considering, saying that the man's apology was sincere.
In an interview with NHK, the man said:
A man who made an illegal distribution
"Many people have posted it on YouTube, so I started thinking that it would be okay to do it myself. Some people can comment while distributing, or I can look back at my video. It was really interesting. I didn't even think that there was a problematic work to upload ... "
Games have the same copyright as movies
Izanagi Games' agent
Tokyo Flex Law Office Hiroyuki Nakajima
"Game images are protected as" cinematographic works "under copyright law. This is no different from uploading movies illegally without permission. That means that the uploader has the motivation to increase the number of views and earn advertising revenue, or to see the videos he posted to a large number of people. The word "game commentary" was born, and more. I think there are few chances to think that uploading is illegal because it gives a casual impression. "
Even if we were able to confirm the illegal distribution of "Death Come True" by November, there were more than 300 cases.
If it was a lot, it was played more than 100,000 times.
Representative Shinsuke Umeda of Izanagi Games
"I'm sorry to be frank. This game development costs a lot of money, and this game also costs hundreds of millions of yen. Users who purchased it will see idiots, It's a big loss for the company. "
Some companies welcome the game live
According to the "Game Live Global Market Report 2017" published by KADOKAWA Game Linkage, the market size of the game live is 4.6 billion dollars worldwide.
It is estimated that there will be 810 million viewers by 2021.
As the market is expected to continue expanding in the future, while the game commentary is restricted for software that emphasizes storylines, some companies welcome the game commentary.
The representative is Nintendo, a male player in the game industry.
Nintendo, known for "Super Mario" and "Animal Crossing: New Year's Forest," published guidelines two years ago.
We encourage individuals and contracted corporations to play the game on condition that they follow the guidelines.
From this guideline, we can see expectations for advertising effectiveness.
"We are grateful to our customers for their sincere and passionate approach to the games and characters we create, and we would like to support the widespread sharing of their experiences. I hope that the number of people who will be attached to it will increase as it is widely shared. "
Nintendo's interim results announced in November showed a final profit of 213.1 billion yen, 3.4 times that of the same period last year.
In addition to the increase in demand for nesting due to the influence of the new coronavirus, the live game is also considered to be one of the factors behind the strong performance.
Popular YouTubers with more than 1 million registered viewers also post game commentary one after another with software approved by the game company.
Advertising revenue from distributed videos has also increased, and game play has become a genre of interest not only as entertainment but also as a business.
Industry-leading user tuber office "UUUM" Yoshinori Ichikawa directors
but who "they really good game is a child is the ARK Newsletter, as a professional gamer, now, by creators such as user tuber originates the game play-by-play, new Heroes have been produced. It is one of the contents that even non-game lovers can enjoy. I want to expand the ground where creators can play an active role while adhering to the guidelines of game makers. "
KADOKAWA Game Linkage Katsuhiko Hayashi Famitsu Group Representative
"Check the guidelines in advance and comply with them first. Then, if the viewer is interested, you will be conscious of picking it up and playing with it. I want it to spread as a good cycle. "
Follow the rules and watch the game live
Currently, the response to live game play is divided according to what the company or game software is "selling".
With the release of "Death Come True," Izanagi Games also called on Twitter to refrain from illegal distribution.
However, among the comments sent to the post, there were comments such as "Do you think that the game will sell by refraining from distribution?" And "What is it even though the commentator is spreading it?"
The original copyright holder is the game company, and it is also the game company that decides whether or not to allow video distribution.
Izanagi Games also said, "I don't want to criticize the game itself. However, I want users to understand that some game companies allow and do not allow video distribution."
I think it is necessary for users to once again recognize the premise that games have copyrights as well as movies and manga.
Social Affairs Department Reporter
Yusuke Tabata