Regarding YouTube’s “fair use” in Japan

Friend and I are thinking about starting a YouTube channel that covers Japan news, entertainment, and other miscellaneous things. If we show screenshots or short footages of Arashi or SMAP, for example, would that be considered “fair use” and therefore not face any take-down issues?

Any advice is welcome! Thx

12 comments
  1. Japan doesn’t have a law similar to “fair use”.

    I haven’t come across any Japanese YouTube channels that show clips that are not theirs. So you shouldn’t do it either.

  2. No chance lol. Even news on TV use stupid drawings of people they don’t have the rights to.

  3. Most likely you will be in trouble if you use such clip. Wasn’t there a guy who got arrested because he’s reviewing movie or something.

    Though there’s tons of “japanese reacts to” videos thingy.

    So yeah, why think hard for content. Just grab some successful or viral video, leech on it and just keep reacting. /s

  4. If you post from Japan, and unless you took the pictures yourself, Johnny’s lawyers will shut you down post haste.

    If you post from a US account it could fall under fair use. Unless they know you’re in Japan.

  5. Oh lawdy yes it’ll be taken down and they’ll give the company your information so they can sic their lawyers on you. Don’t, just, don’t.

  6. Japanese entertainment companies are notorious for copyright striking any and everything that uses their footage. If you do it you should certainly expect to have your videos taken down on a regular basis.

  7. I was on a shoot with a member of V6, and a friend posted a picture of the shoot on Facebook that showed that member in the distance with his back to the camera so nobody could possibly have any idea who it was.

    The staff were all over it immediately and made him delete the photo and post.

    Johnny’s doesn’t mess around.

  8. Johnny’s whole business model is predicated on ensuring that nobody can so much as even mention their talent without getting a cut so I wouldn’t chance it.

  9. Run your channel like a business. Start a LCC in the US and have a have a friend upload it from there.

  10. I believe now YouTube can limit which countries your content is available in. So if you did post that kind of content your videos may get blocked for anybody watching in Japan, but be visible to people in the US, Canada, etc.

  11. Nothing is fair use, effectively.

    3 people were arrested AND convicted for creating movie summaries. Like Minute Movies and maybe even things like Pitch Meeting type Youtubers would be arrested here.

    [https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/11/17/national/crime-legal/3-guilty-japan-uploading-fast-movies/](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/11/17/national/crime-legal/3-guilty-japan-uploading-fast-movies/)

    To estimate damages, movie companies just did “number of views for each video times ticket price” because of course they did.

    If however your videos are in English, they’re more likely to fly under the radar. But at your own risk.

  12. Johnny’s doesn’t even allow the cover art for their releases to be on the Oricon site. When Johnny died, I think most news stories just had a photo of the headquarters. They’re overly protective. As far as I know, they only recently started having MVs on YouTube?

    What about using crappy drawings or stick figures instead?

    It’s so weird that during promotions entire buildings will be covered with their faces and loudspeakers playing their songs in Shibuya but the rest of the time their cloistered away from social media.

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