Last year saw a major upgrade in Japan's anti-piracy legislation in an attempt to shift Internet users away from file-sharing sites and networks and towards the country's legitimate outlets. But while the change in the law was significant, getting the legal-downloading message to users proved problematic. In response the government…

A prestigious economics think-tank of the Japanese Government has published a study which concludes that online piracy of anime shows actually increases sales of DVDs. The conclusion stands in sharp contrast with the entertainment industry's claims that 'illicit' downloading is leading to billions of dollars in losses worldwide. It also…

Cyber-crime police have arrested a man who uploaded the movie 'Wanted' to a file-sharing network. The man, Kazushi Hirata, was detained after he added custom subtitles to a pirated copy of the movie and uploaded it to the Internet, in advance of its Japanese theatrical release. He faces up to…

A man who added custom subtitles to a pirated copy of the movie ‘Wanted’ and uploaded it to a file-sharing network has been sentenced. Kazushi Hirata, who uploaded the movie in advance of its Japanese theatrical release, received a 2 year suspended jail sentence.