Japan to Legalise MADs

Enjoy MADs without rebuke from Sunrise soon...

NicoNico Douga’s fortunes may be turning once again, for we hear that the Japanese government, specifically the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, is set to put into action a plan which would enshrine in law special “cyber-districts”, where authors using commercially held copyrighted works in their creations would be legally allowed to ignore the usual requirements for permission and royalties.

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The Sex Musical of Suzumiya Hahiru

The Sex Musical of Suzumiya Hahiru

Another in the apparently strong genre of strictly unauthorised cosplay AVs emerges. This production (below, above we see an earlier work) is set to star AV performer 香坂百合 / Yuri Kousaka; she has appeared in a variety of similar efforts to tap the doujinshi ignorant market which seemingly exists – her latest production is said to feature a series of displays of manual dexterity of great interest to fans of the art.

Due in early September, by way of the unfortunately named Soft On Demand, entitled 涼宮ヒハルの超激手コキ / Suzumiya Hiharu no Chou-Gekisou Tekoki.

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  • BuggyBY commented on August 23, 2008 20:54
  • Agreed, a shae the wigs slipped a few times though.... More
  • Toiski commented on August 22, 2008 18:43
  • Lucky Chuta was made of win. Especially Konata's actor was great; I lolled often at her lines.... More

Nintendo Heads League to Crush Modchips

Nintendo Heads League to Crush Modchips

Nintendo have taken umbrage at the distribution of backup devices aimed at their DS handheld, and have, together with a massive alliance of 54 other companies, many of them big players, opted to hound the offending companies out of existence with a lawsuit.

The device they are targeting is the R4 Revolution (actually a flash cartridge), and their strategy is to sue five of the companies involved in the Japanese distribution of the device.

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  • FAIL commented on August 11, 2008 20:52
  • Lol. Mudkips. But, by announcing that they "might" (as in will, to make other companies lose business, and make theirs get more profit) take legal action, I can forsee "panic buying". In short, Nintendo maybe... More
  • SuigintouBY commented on August 2, 2008 08:47
  • why halo there... More

Chinese Mickey

Chinese Mickey

As part of the upcoming Olympic marketing event, some original promotional efforts have been taken up by Beijing entrepreneurs. Any resemblance to any Disney characters, or for that matter Doraemon or the like, is purely incidental. Regarding the not-Mickey statues: “They have holes in the ears, so it’s not a copy” we are assured.

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  • xysterial commented on July 25, 2008 18:29
  • much like the Chinese tPhone i assume... More
  • IrrugaSinX commented on July 24, 2008 23:57
  • “They have holes in the ears, so it’s not a copy” LMAO, I'm pretty sure only the pupils from the Uni. Harvard of China can produces these brilliant yet obvious ides...... More

Nico’s Popularity Collapses

Nico’s Popularity Collapses

Data and insider anecdote both point to a sudden and precipitous collapse in YouTube pretender NicoNico Douga’s popularity; in the face of such a reverse the talk of making Nico into national infrastructure seems mere hubris – it may be lucky to ever turn a profit, let alone expand overseas.

Might this have something to do with the recent supplication of Nico before its new masters? In all probability, yes; the graphs really speak for themselves on this.

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  • Seeb commented on July 20, 2008 08:42
  • I'm surprised none of the anime regulators/distributors are willing to work with Nico to make anime content legal and profitable. Theres gotta be a way.... More
  • Sakuya commented on July 20, 2008 04:48
  • Consider this: The site generates in total ¥150,000,000 from sponsors, paid memberships and so on. To operate the site costs ¥250,000,000. Also consider one of the forces behind it, 2ch and 2chan, Hiroyuki Nakamura... More

NicoNico Douga to be Japan’s National Infrastructure

Nishimura (2ch founder) on the left, with his taskmaster Natsuno watching over him to try to stop him spending any more investor cash

NicoNico Douga bosses 夏野剛 / Takeshi Natsuno (a seasoned seller of mobile phone melodies parachuted in to try to stop the cash haemorrhage at Nico’s managing firm Niwango) and 西村博之 / Hiroyuki Nishimura (no less a man than the founder of 2ch and now Nico honcho) have given a most interesting interview on the future and past of NicoNico.

Much is revealed of their plans for expansion; notably we hear they intend to see NicoNico become a part of the national infrastructure of Japan, that they intend a plan of overseas expansion, just as soon as they have dealt with the trifling matter of losing millions of dollars, and that, yes, the biggest challenge facing them may indeed be kowtowing to the intellectual property cartels without wiping their servers bare.

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  • Resonance commented on August 12, 2008 03:16
  • Hm, I always wondered what kind of person the creator of 2ch would be like. While this is a novel idea (global expansion) I don't think it'll go beyond the bounds of where it is now.... More
  • Karasu-kun commented on July 18, 2008 09:21
  • Wow, founder of nichan and Nico? That guy must have merry piles of cash on which to roll around.... More

Nico Wipes Anime

This young lady in an act of domination is a fitting figurative representation of what has been done to Nico.

NicoNico Douga has prostrated itself before the might of Japanese intellectual property cartels such as the AJA, JVA and MPAA, and Nico maintainer Dwango is now their willing and obedient slave in all matters, we hear. They have supinely expunged all content the groups deem infringing (and not just limited to anime), so they must be excused if their servers are a little bare at present.

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  • Hellstinger commented on August 4, 2008 13:54
  • Good point... More
  • Teeif commented on July 3, 2008 12:48
  • Nico Nico decides to vet submissions? Is that even possible? Given the number of submissions, it would take the entire Red Army to do this task!... More

Japan Plans Assault on Fansubbing

Stop fansunbs now? This at least doesn't have the backing of the Japanese government.

In their “Intellectual Property Strategic Program 2008”, the Japanese government proposes measures for curbing the unauthorised online sharing and distribution of anime and manga, in what could very well turn out to be an assault on fansubbing and the sharing of anime and other Japanese cultural products.

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  • Frostea commented on July 3, 2008 01:01
  • Whether they like it or not, fansubbing and scanlating will not die off until 100% of the fans have access to their daily/weekly/monthly dosage of anime/manga/visual novels/light novels at a speed equivalent or better than... More
  • green commented on June 20, 2008 12:30
  • Yeah...You have to wonder how they had the initiative to make a campaign like this. This couldn't possibly hurt dvd sales as much as the anime/otaku industry is profiting. Especially when the market is steadily... More

Adult Game Makers Face Mass Bankruptcy?

Adult Game Makers Face Mass Bankruptcy? Taichi Kiriyama

The recent political attacks on the adult game industry seem to have stirred up a hornet’s nest in defence of the eroge makers, but the makers themselves seem to other concerns, claiming their industry is in imminent danger of mass bankruptcy, not due to the depredations of populist politicians, but due to that most reviled nemesis of software developers everywhere, piracy.

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Japan to Legalise Dojinshi?

Haruhi non-ero dojinshi - soon to be legal?

The “grey zone” into which dojinshi fall may soon disappear, which full legal recognition of the right to fair use, if a new government initiative to reform copyright law reaches fruition. The reform is still under formation, but could very well see the light of day.

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Anime Tops Japanese Music Royalties

Anime Tops Japanese Music Royalties - Hana Yori Dango No. 1

Japanese recording industry mafia JASRAC reports that 2007 royalty collections for music licensing are ranked as follows:

1:Flavor Of Life』 宇多田ヒカル Flavor Of Life, Utada Hikaru (Hana Yori Dango)
2:
『エヴァンゲリオンBGM– Evangelion BGM
3:
LOVERS AGAINEXILE
4:
『ドラゴンボールZ BGMTV)』– Dragon Ball Z BGM (TV)
5
: 『涙そうそう』 夏川りみ、BEGIN、森山良子

Total proceeds increased 4.1% over the previous year to ¥115 billion, about $1.1 billion, with cable television said to be a primary factor in the revenue growth.

Flavor of Life from is from one of the many Hana Yori Dango adaptations, and the Eva and DBZ titles need no introduction (apparently international airing of DBZ contributed heavily). With even more Eva related sales on the cards it is likely the strong showing will persist.

It seems an interesting development for their sales to apparently be moving away from direct sales via CD and the like towards indirect licensing ventures. From the JASRAC fiscal reports, digested by AnimeAnime.


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