News Releases

November 25, 2015
Japanese Society for Rights of Authors,
Composers and Publishers
（JASRAC）

Man Selling Unauthorized Recordings through Internet Auction Websites Arrested

On November 23, following a complaint filed by JASRAC, the Consumer and Economy Section of the Consumer Safety Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and its Yoyogi Police Station arrested a 52-year-old man residing in Katsushika Ward, Tokyo, for alleged copyright infringement (distribution of unauthorized recordings).

This man allegedly reproduced unreleased sound sources recorded illegally at a concert performed by Takuro Yoshida in 1973, a singer and JASRAC member, onto CD-Rs and sold them through Internet auctions.

According to the police investigation, it was found that from October of last year to August of this year he had made a profit of about 410,000 yen by selling a set of two CD-Rs as the "Complete Version of Masterpieces from Takuro Yoshida Live '73" to 88 people for 4,980 yen a piece.

Takeda Kikaku, a music publisher who manages Yoshida's musical works, commented on this incident, saying, "We express our regret concerning the recent vicious illegal acts. We hope that all parties involved will comply with the Copyright Law."

With an aim to eradicate acts of distribution of pirated items, JASRAC will continue to request Internet providers operating Internet auction sites and music file exchange sites to delete information on pirated and counterfeit items, and to issue cautions and warnings against those individual users. JASRAC will also seek to raise copyright awareness through public relations activities to promote the legitimate use of music.

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