Police authorities in Japan’s Kumamoto and Niigata prefectures have again arrested two foreign men on suspicion of copyright infringement for publishing images from “Weekly Shonen Magazine” before its official release. The act of leaking manga images before release is known as “early spoilers” in Japan.
Japanese Police Investigate Profiles and Sites That Publish Manga Spoilers
The joint investigation by the two prefectures resulted in the arrest of 36-year-old Musa Samir, who is a businessman in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and another man. They had already been previously arrested for leaking images from “Weekly Shonen Jump” magazine before its release. According to Kumamoto police, Musa Samir runs a company that sells manga-related products and purchased the magazine from distributors.
The manga images were translated into English and other languages, and were republished on several websites. Investigations revealed that the two men posted the images on social media in English and Arabic.
Police are also investigating social media profiles that post manga spoilers in English and Arabic, as well as websites that use these spoilers to increase their views and advertising revenue.
According to authorities, both men admitted they wanted to increase their companies’ revenue by publishing the leaks.
via Nikkei
