(English) Man who repeatedly streamed movies illegally on Niconico Video, etc. arrested (Kumamoto Prefectural Police Headquarters, Cybercrime Unit) September.07.2018

On August 28, the Kumamoto Prefectural Police Headquarters Cybercrime Unit arrested a man who had been streaming movies without the right holders’ permission using live-stream video sharing services on suspicion of copyright violation. The suspect has confessed to the charges.
The man, who goes by “Chama” and other names, had been using sites such as Niconico Video to illegally stream a large number of movie files, including many from major film companies belonging to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).

Despite multiple measures by the organization to stop the streaming, the man continued to share illegal live broadcasts. Since he did not appear to have any intent to stop the illegal streaming and the act was extremely malicious, the organization consulted with the Kumamoto Prefectural Police Headquarters Cybercrime Unit, appealing to the police to crack down on the crime and providing expert advice and additional cooperation with the investigation, leading to his arrest on this occasion.

Shigetaka Kurita, Representative Director of DWANGO Co., Ltd., commented on this matter as follows. “I see the revelation of this crime as extremely significant. The act of misusing live streaming sites to illegally stream movies and other content is a copyright violation and must never be permitted. As a company who has thus far taken measures to protect rights based on a policy of cooperating with right holders and content holders and firmly forbidding copyright violations, we find it extremely unfortunate that a user of our service has gone so far as to be arrested. Going forward, in addition to suitably managing copyright violations, we will also work to spread education and public awareness regarding copyrights so that such an arrest does not happen again.”