- Wataru Takeuchi sentenced to 18 months prison and fined 1 million yen for spoilers
- Takeuchi posted detailed summaries of Godzilla Minus One and Overlord III online
- Court ruled summaries were unauthorized adaptations violating Japanese copyright law
A Japanese court has sentenced 39-year-old Wataru Takeuchi to a year and a half in prison and a 1 million yen (approximately Rs 5.89 lakh) fine for posting movie and anime spoilers online. As the admin of an entertainment website, Takeuchi published detailed summaries of Godzilla Minus One and Overlord III. He was found guilty of violating Japanese copyright law, specifically for creating unauthorised "new works" that retained the essential characteristics of the originals without permission.
Toho (owner of the Godzilla IP) and Kadokawa Shoten (the publisher behind Overlord) filed joint lawsuits against Takeuchi through the Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA). The prosecutors argued that the content of Takeuchi's website stepped beyond the usual fair use protections, which could be considered damaging for being detailed enough that readers wouldn't seek out the films and shows in their original intended format.
"Numerous websites that extract text from movies and other content have been identified and are considered problematic as so-called 'spoiler sites,'" CODA said in a statement as per The Verge. "While these actions tend to be perceived as less serious than piracy sites or illegal uploads that upload the content itself, they are clear copyright infringements that go beyond the scope of fair use and are serious crimes."
Unauthorised Adaptations
The prosecution stated that the copyright infringement occurred because the Godzilla article used over 3,000 characters to summarise the film, while the Overlord III article featured transcribed dialogue and several still images. Both were deemed unauthorised adaptations of the original works.
CODA also argued that Takeuchi's website ran ads on the posts, meaning he was able to monetise the publication of copyrighted IPs. In 2023 alone, he raked in 38 million yen (Rs. 2.23 crore) from the site's ad sales. Subsequently, he was arrested in 2024, with the Tokyo District Court delivering the verdict last week.
"Between January 2023 and February 2024, the men transcribed, without permission from the copyright holders. They then published articles on their website, combining these transcriptions with related images, and unfairly earned advertising revenue."
The landmark ruling comes in the backdrop of Paramount's upcoming, The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender, leaking online and social media users immediately sharing it.
