Thursday, October 4, 2012

Anti-Downloading Law Hits Japan, Up To 2 Years in Prison From Today

According to the Recording Industry Association of Japan and their IFPI affiliates, the Japanese music industry is in trouble. Unauthorized downloads eclipse those from official source by 10 to 1, and the market for downloads shrank by 16% last year.
This decline needs to combated, they insist.
After intensive lobbying by the music industry, in June this year Japan approved an amendment to its Copyright Law that would see downloaders of unauthorized music face stiff criminal penalties in addition to the civil remedies already in place.
The wording here is important. While in some countries downloading copyrighted media without permission is already illegal, it is usually the uploaders (distributors) of content that are targeted in so-called “3 strikes” style campaigns.
While Japan already has the legislative muscle to hit uploaders with up to 10 years in prison and a 10 million yen ($128,300) fine, this new legislation makes criminals of mere downloaders.''

 http://torrentfreak.com/anti-downloading-law-hits-japan-up-to-2-years-in-prison-from-today-121001/

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