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NEWS: Japan Considers Fair-Use Clause Based on U.S. Copyright Law


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Dargonxtc



Joined: 13 Apr 2006
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PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2008 11:01 am Reply with quote
Quote:
including whether the copying or use is intended for non-commercial purposes


That's the only part that worries me.
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Arcwave



Joined: 07 Jul 2007
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PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2008 11:02 am Reply with quote
So this means we could technically watch a fan subbed version of Rebuild of Evangelion 1.01 in my Popular Japanese Cultures class at my university without legal permission?

Shocked
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hikaru004



Joined: 15 Mar 2004
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PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2008 11:07 am Reply with quote
That would be stretching fair use beyond its definition. You might be able to make an arguement for the Japanese version but again that's doubtful too knowing that even clips over here in an educational setting require permission IIRC.
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Hexon.Arq



Joined: 20 Aug 2006
Posts: 79
PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2008 11:10 am Reply with quote
Arcwave wrote:
So this means we could technically watch a fan subbed version of Rebuild of Evangelion 1.01 in my Popular Japanese Cultures class at my university without legal permission?

Shocked


From what they make it sound like, yes, but they'd have to use a licensed or otherwise permitted subbed release (for free though lol?) and if you went home and talked about it on your website, you couldn't use any pictures--not just from the movie, but from Evangelion in general.

This sounds like it will only apply within Japan. If these things were instituted internationally, then there would likely be no need for a duplicate of the current U.S. policy.

In any event it ultimately seems futile, as we have such law in the U.S.; other than on Wikipedia, the relevance of such law is rendered virtually moot on the Internet by the microsecond. It almost seems like beating a horse that's so dead, its skeleton is just a pile of dust. The Internet is probably 80% stolen IP; good luck changing that.


Last edited by Hexon.Arq on Wed May 28, 2008 11:14 am; edited 1 time in total
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cjovalle



Joined: 17 Feb 2004
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PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2008 11:13 am Reply with quote
hikaru004 wrote:
That would be stretching fair use beyond its definition. You might be able to make an arguement for the Japanese version but again that's doubtful too knowing that even clips over here in an educational setting require permission IIRC.


Not quite. Anime smile U.S. law already has fair use provisions, and in addition to those fair use provisions has fairly generous educational exemptions for the use of copyrighted material in a face to face classroom setting (which immediately shrink significantly when moving to the digital environment). Purchasing the Japanese video in the first place will contribute to the fair use argument.

At any rate, your mileage about using such materials is going to vary depending on your institution and what kinds of risks they're comfortable with.
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cjovalle



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PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2008 11:18 am Reply with quote
Arcwave wrote:
So this means we could technically watch a fan subbed version of Rebuild of Evangelion 1.01 in my Popular Japanese Cultures class at my university without legal permission?

Shocked


If you're not in Japan, this change to Japanese copyright law probably won't affect you. By convention, copyright law is based on domestic law. When someone refers to "international copyright law," generally they're talking about a set of standards that countries have agreed upon (for example, the Berne Convention). However, those treaties are specifically enacted domestically, so it's your local law that applies. Under Berne, foreign works are treated like domestic works if the act takes place domestically. That is, if your copyright-related action takes place in the U.S., you worry about U.S. law.

There's a decent chance that the use described is legal under U.S. exemptions, but it's going to entirely depend on the circumstances.
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hikaru004



Joined: 15 Mar 2004
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PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2008 11:26 am Reply with quote
cjovalle wrote:
hikaru004 wrote:
That would be stretching fair use beyond its definition. You might be able to make an arguement for the Japanese version but again that's doubtful too knowing that even clips over here in an educational setting require permission IIRC.


Not quite. Anime smile U.S. law already has fair use provisions, and in addition to those fair use provisions has fairly generous educational exemptions for the use of copyrighted material in a face to face classroom setting (which immediately shrink significantly when moving to the digital environment). Purchasing the Japanese video in the first place will contribute to the fair use argument.

At any rate, your mileage about using such materials is going to vary depending on your institution and what kinds of risks they're comfortable with.


But those provisions would not allow you to use a fansub and a quick peek at the Sony site reveals the reality of the fair use law and educational facilities.

The Cliff notes version. You need permission for it and you're going to pay for it. (in R1)

The full screening permission version can be found here.
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cjovalle



Joined: 17 Feb 2004
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PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2008 11:42 am Reply with quote
hikaru004 wrote:

But those provisions would not allow you to use a fansub and a quick peak at the Sony site reveals the reality of the fair use law and educational facilities.

The Cliff notes version. You need permission for it and you're going to pay for it.


Those provisions *might* allow you to use a fansub, depending on the circumstances.

As I said, your mileage is going to vary depending on your institution. I know a bit about copyright myself, since it's a big part about what I study and teach- but on this exact issue I not only did my own research but consulted the legal counsel of my institution. ^_-

If I were to use a fansub in my course, I would first see if any exemption- most likely fair use- would apply. I would likely purchase the Japanese original if it were available on the market. I would consult my institution's legal counsel and document that I made a good faith effort to determine that my use was fair. I would also make sure that I use only the amount necessary for the learning objective of the course and if in any way made available digitally follow the requirements of the TEACH act (which describes how digital copies can be used in an educational setting). If I or counsel decided that my use was not fair I would contact Sony and likely follow the permission guidelines that you're referring to.

One of the necessary characteristics of these exemptions is that they do not require the permission of the copyright holder- necessary because they exist partly to make sure that the public interest in free speech interests such as commentary, criticism, education, and so on is upheld. Fair use, in particular, can expressly occur against the wishes of the copyright holder.

I will point out that I am not commenting on the legitimacy of the creation or distribution of fansubs, merely the use of a work in a very specific setting.
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Rolando_jose



Joined: 04 Jan 2007
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PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2008 11:46 am Reply with quote
Arcwave wrote:
So this means we could technically watch a fan subbed version of Rebuild of Evangelion 1.01 in my Popular Japanese Cultures class at my university without legal permission?

Shocked


I have had no problem asking (Companies) for permission to show anime in my University, but they specify that it can only be shown once, to students or staff and charging nothing. BEtter if you can wait for the anime in mention to be one or two years old.


Rolando
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hikaru004



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PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2008 11:54 am Reply with quote
Well then since you teach this then you would know that the fansub version is not a recognized legal version, cjovalle.

For the most part, it's the recognized version that's used for clips and examples. But I agree consultation with the legal counsel is the best way to proceed since the copyright's holder would likely come after you if it turns out you misstepped.
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cjovalle



Joined: 17 Feb 2004
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PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2008 12:42 pm Reply with quote
Unlike the educational exemption (and for that matter, just about all of the rest of the exemptions), fair use does not have the use of a legal copy written into the statutory language. But that is why we'd want to buy a legal version as well. It would be even better if we could subtitle it ourselves, but that's not always possible.
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BellosTheMighty



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PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2008 1:50 pm Reply with quote
Ummm... you know, this doesn't make any sense to me. I was under the impression that the purpose of fair use was to allow educators and journalists the freedom necessary to do their jobs. But if I'm reading this news post correctly, there are already provisions in Japanese law. So for all intents and purposes, don't they already have "fair use"?
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la_contessa



Joined: 20 Apr 2007
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PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2008 2:28 pm Reply with quote
cjovalle wrote:
Unlike the educational exemption (and for that matter, just about all of the rest of the exemptions), fair use does not have the use of a legal copy written into the statutory language. But that is why we'd want to buy a legal version as well. It would be even better if we could subtitle it ourselves, but that's not always possible.


This is not really true. Here's why:

Both Japanese and U.S. copyright law provide that unauthorized derivative works are INFRINGING works (by giving authors the exclusive right to approve and distribute derivative works). Both sets of laws include translations in the definition of derivative work. So, a translation of anime (i.e. a fansub) is an unauthorized derivative work because it is a translation that was not authorized by the copyright holder--therefore, it is an infringing work. Without going through all the elements, I think it's pretty easy to say that fansubs fail the fair use test and would not in and of themselves have a fair use defense.

Section 107 of the Copyright Act says that "the fair use of any copyrighted work . . . is not an infringement of copyight" (emphasis added). An unauthorized derivative work is NOT a "copyrighted work"--in fact, it it is already an infringement of copyright. There is no way that a work that is itself patently infringing (ooo, a legal pun...) can be used fairly (as defined by law), since the fair use provision clearly calls for a copyrighted work. Therefore, in order to avoid liability (THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE, I AM NOT A PRACTICING ATTORNEY--speak to your own legal counsel), my view is that you would have to show a legally purchased region 2 copy of Rebuild of Eva 1.0 (because anything else would be distributed without authorization) with whatever languages are on the DVD, OR to do the subtitling explicitly as a class project in order to study the Japanese language. I'm making an educated guess on the last one, so again--this is not legal advice.

(please note that I am not arguing that infringement is always a bar to fair use, which would make no sense--fair use is actually a defense to infringement. I'm talking about the situation where the creation of the work was not "fair" in the first place, so any use of it afterwards is also not fair)

BellosTheMighty wrote:
Ummm... you know, this doesn't make any sense to me. I was under the impression that the purpose of fair use was to allow educators and journalists the freedom necessary to do their jobs. But if I'm reading this news post correctly, there are already provisions in Japanese law. So for all intents and purposes, don't they already have "fair use"?


Kind of. Another aspect of fair use is the ability of future creators to build off the works of past creators to make something new and innovative. So, while it is important for educators and critics to quote that which they are discussing, it is also important that current creators have access to SOME past works for SOME fair uses. Certainly not every copy or use is fair (it depends on a balancing of the four elements listed in this article--good reporting by ANN, by the way) nor, I believe, should it all be fair, but the idea that enough is fair for it to be used to jumpstart future creative endeavors.
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cjovalle



Joined: 17 Feb 2004
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PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2008 3:32 pm Reply with quote
la_contessa wrote:

This is not really true. Here's why:


I'll disagree, but I freely admit it's debatable. Anime smile I will say that getting a legal copy is preferable.

Quote:
Both Japanese and U.S. copyright law provide that unauthorized derivative works are INFRINGING works (by giving authors the exclusive right to approve and distribute derivative works). Both sets of laws include translations in the definition of derivative work. So, a translation of anime (i.e. a fansub) is an unauthorized derivative work because it is a translation that was not authorized by the copyright holder--therefore, it is an infringing work. Without going through all the elements, I think it's pretty easy to say that fansubs fail the fair use test and would not in and of themselves have a fair use defense.


Depending on the circumstances, I agree with you. However, I believe there are circumstances when creating a fansub would pass a fair use evaluation. As distribution is generally practiced, though, I agree.

Quote:
Section 107 of the Copyright Act says that "the fair use of any copyrighted work . . . is not an infringement of copyight" (emphasis added). An unauthorized derivative work is NOT a "copyrighted work"--in fact, it it is already an infringement of copyright. There is no way that a work that is itself patently infringing (ooo, a legal pun...) can be used fairly (as defined by law), since the fair use provision clearly calls for a copyrighted work. Therefore, in order to avoid liability (THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE, I AM NOT A PRACTICING ATTORNEY--speak to your own legal counsel), my view is that you would have to show a legally purchased region 2 copy of Rebuild of Eva 1.0 (because anything else would be distributed without authorization) with whatever languages are on the DVD, OR to do the subtitling explicitly as a class project in order to study the Japanese language. I'm making an educated guess on the last one, so again--this is not legal advice.


Here's where I'll disagree. There's little question that an unauthorized derivative work can have its own copyright associated with it, although the elements that are the copyright of another aren't owned by the creator of the derivative work. (For example, uses that are fair but unauthorized are protected by copyright.)

There is also copyright associated with the derivative work- even if it is infringing. You can't say that an infringing fansub isn't protected by copyright. The original holder still owns copyright to the work, even if the creator of the derivative work does not have any type of copyright interest as a result of the infringement.

To put it another way, it's very difficult to find something that is not considered a copyrighted work under U.S. law. A bootleg is still a copyrighted work- but the copyright is not owned by the bootlegger. (Urgh, that invokes the bootleg statute, sorry. Razz)

Title 17 specifically mentions this type of idea when it refers to "legal copies." Some exemptions explicitly exclude works that are not legal copies. For example, Section 110 excludes the use of a copy that "is given by means of a copy that was not lawfully made under this title, and that the person responsible for the performance knew or had reason to believe was not lawfully made." Section 107 does not have the same language.

Additionally, there are reasons for fair use to allow the use of unauthorized copies that themselves were initially infringing- particularly for criticism and commentary, such as the distribution of the Diebold papers.

Of course, that might not be compelling, and different people will most definitely have different interpretations. As I mentioned, I have received legal counsel on this issue, and my institution would support my uses if I followed their advice in my specific situation. Read: my situation is unique to my uses, so you shouldn't assume that even a similar use could be considered fair without speaking to your own legal counsel.

So in that sense, yeah, I agree- if you're going to do something that is potentially infringing, get legal advice when necessary. I'm fairly comfortable making fair use evaluations in most cases, but in this situation I specifically looked for legal counsel from my institution.

Quote:
(please note that I am not arguing that infringement is always a bar to fair use, which would make no sense--fair use is actually a defense to infringement. I'm talking about the situation where the creation of the work was not "fair" in the first place, so any use of it afterwards is also not fair)


Right, that's where I disagree. Because the initial copying act may not have been fair does not necessarily mean that additional acts are not fair. Again, I'd also try to strengthen my fair use argument as much as possible by purchasing the original work.

Of course, the nature of fair use is also debated. An affirmative defense? A free speech right? Both? Neither? Anime smile (I'm in the "both" camp, for what it's worth.)
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indrik



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PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2008 4:08 pm Reply with quote
cjovalle wrote:

Depending on the circumstances, I agree with you. However, I believe there are circumstances when creating a fansub would pass a fair use evaluation. As distribution is generally practiced, though, I agree.


I'm curious, under what conditions do you think fansubs would constitute fair use? I'm thinking orphaned works off the top of my head myself, but I'd like to hear what you think.

Quote:

Here's where I'll disagree. There's little question that an unauthorized derivative work can have its own copyright associated with it, although the elements that are the copyright of another aren't owned by the creator of the derivative work. (For example, uses that are fair but unauthorized are protected by copyright.)


I was under the impression that this was not a settled argument. Is there case law in regards to copyright status of unauthorized derivative works? The only case I am aware of is a fanfic writer suing the original creator of the world she used when the original author allegedly copied some elements of the fanfic. I don't have the details in front of me, but I recall it was settled out of court, leaving the actual legal issue unresolved. But it's certainly possible something slipped past me.
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