The topic of intellectual property and copyright has become a rather charged issue in Japan in recent years primarily because of the mainstreaming of the Internet. Whether you’re considering downloadable books, digitized music, streaming movies, or television shows being traded on video sharing websites, the struggle to manage and protect the rights of content creators and distributors in Japan has been a particularly interesting ongoing story.
Driven by factors such as differing cultural views towards content and its dissemination, as well as the fact that the Web is still relatively new ground for many Japanese consumers more accustomed to the parameters governing the mobile phone arena, it was clear that a new approach towards intellectual property in Japan was needed. The recent revisions to Japan’s Copyright Law provide us with that new approach.
Thus when the opportunity arose for the Journal to directly access Yuji Nagayama of the Japan Copyright Office (“Content Clarity”)—due in no small part to the efforts of David Case, Ken Katayama and the ACCJ’s Intellectual Property Committee—we immediately knew that we had a rather unique opportunity to educate and contextualize the revisions to Japan’s Copyright Law for our readers.
The revisions not only point to a future in which IP in Japan enjoys more clarity in terms of legal guidelines, but they also set the stage for businesspeople in the country, now equipped with better information, to harness the possibilities inherent in the many of the amazingly creative works originating from Japan.
There is also a special kind of pleasure in publishing stories like the one penned this month by Jeff Shimamoto (“Turning Digital Dreams Into Reality”) detailing the ACCJ’s charity efforts toward putting computers in the hands of children in need. Although the ACCJ is a group largely fueled by the leaders of local and international commerce, it is the act of reaching out to the local community that shows the real power and promise of the Chamber. Such charity efforts are vital to illustrating the value the ACCJ membership adds to Japan and its local concerns.
In this issue we are also graced with the sage advice of one of this generation’s primary thought leaders in the realm of digital media, Seth Godin (“The Art of Opportunity”). Author of the bestselling books “Permission Marketing,” “All Marketers Are Liars,” and “Tribes,” Godin’s finely honed wit and ability to decipher the many variables that typify modern marketing are once again at work in this roadmap to business development in the age of digital innovation. Enjoy!
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