We learned that the Recording Industry Association of Japan has taken legal action, including identifying the site operator, alleging that copyright is being infringed by "reach sites" that induce users to download pirated copies such as J-POP.
"Reach sites" were subject to regulation by the revision of the Copyright Act three years ago, but this is the first time that an industry group has embarked on full-scale measures for music.
According to the Japan Recording Industry Association, which has 3 member companies, including major record companies, "reach sites" that provide URLs and other information so that pirated copies such as J-POP can be downloaded for free have been gaining a lot of access in recent years.
However, since the site has continued to refuse to respond to requests for removal due to copyright infringement, the association has embarked on legal action against multiple "reach sites" in cooperation with lawyers and research firms.
Since many of these sites use overseas servers, they use overseas judicial procedures, and last month the names and IP addresses of the operators of the largest J-POP specialized sites were disclosed for the first time.
"Reach sites" were subject to regulation by the revision of the Copyright Act three years ago for encouraging the downloading of pirated copies, but this is the first time that an industry group has embarked on full-scale measures regarding music, and the association will identify the operators of other sites in the future and take strict measures in both criminal and civil matters.
Music Reach Site What is the current situation?
As the way people enjoy music changes from CDs, which were once mainstream, to Internet-based services, "reach sites" have become a serious problem for the music industry.
According to the "Music Media User Survey" conducted by the Recording Industry Association of Japan last November for 11 to 12 year olds nationwide, the method used by more than 69,2500 people who listened to music in half a year was the video posting site "YouTube" with 64% of the multiple responses, followed by ▼ subscription music distribution services at 28%, ▼ CD and ▼ TV are 25% each.
According to the association, as the number of people who enjoy music via the Internet increases, there is also an increase in access to "reach sites" that guide users to download pirated copies of songs for free.
The association is aware of 12 reach sites that post URLs where pirated copies can be downloaded on the same day new songs are released, and the largest J-POP reach site has 7.150 million monthly hits in July.
The reach site was shut down while the association was proceeding with legal proceedings, but research companies estimate that the damage caused by copyright infringement is as high as 30 billion yen per year.
The Copyright Act stipulates imprisonment of up to 5 years and a fine of up to 500 million yen for the act of operating a ▼ reach site, and ▼ The act of repeatedly downloading while knowing that it has been illegally uploaded is also punishable by imprisonment of up to 2 years and a fine of up to 200 million yen.
Yasushi Kusumoto, director of the Recording Industry Association of Japan, said, "If illegal websites are used and the music is not paid to the artist, it will hinder creative activities. We want people to buy music through the official route and enjoy it."