Press Conference:
Time to End Illegal Manga Sales
Ken Akamatsu
Managing Director of the Nihon Manga-ka Kyokai
(An association of manga illustrators in Japan) & popular manga artist
Atsushi Ito
Shueisha publishing company
Kensaku Fukui
lawyer
(The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation.)
15:00 - 16:00, December 14, 2020
The increase in the number of people staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic has boosted demand for online content, including manga. This has resulted in numerous websites selling pirated versions of popular manga titles. The websites are usually located overseas and are able to charge less than official online sellers. None of the proceeds of these illegal sales goes to the original creators or publishers.
According to an industry estimate, the top 15 piracy sites are accessed 200 million times per month. The financial loss for animators and publishers is estimated to be more than $100 million (10 billion yen), but little has been done to halt copyright infringement. The Nihon Manga-ka Kyokai, an association of manga illustrators in Japan, has warned that, left unchecked, the illegal sale of content could destroy the manga industry.
The association's managing director and well-known manga artist Ken Akamatsu – best known for Love Hina and Negima – will come to the Club along with Atsushi Ito, a representative from major publisher Shueisha, and renowned copyright lawyer Kensaku Fukui to explain the crisis facing the industry.
How to attend:
Please register at front@fccj.or.jp with your name, name of media outlet, FCCJ membership number. Due to space restrictions, please note there will be a limited number of reservations to attend. Doors open at 14:30. Please sign in your name and contact details at the reception with your own pen and to have your temperature taken before proceeding.
How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe8K6odES9H0wSq71vppauA/live
Livestreaming of the press events will be available and video of this event will be uploaded to our FCCJ YouTube channel.
How to ask questions:https://forms.gle/Z6PkqjkpgTiUL2kP6
Members watching the event online can submit questions for the speakers in advance using this submission form (English only).
TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Door open for TV crews only at 14:15. There will be five positions available for livestreaming.
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