Japanese police arrest YouTuber for uploading anime and gameplay footage

Police in Japan have arrested a 52-year-old YouTuber for uploading footage of Steins;Gate: My Darling’s Embrace and SpyxFamily to the platform.

The Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA) organization announced that for the first time ever, someone has been arrested in the country for uploading footage of a video game and anime.

According to Anime News Network, a Nagoya City man was arrested on Wednesday by Miyagi Prefectural Police for the crime of posting videos to YouTube.

Kadokawa, the rights holder for Steins;Gate says the man had been uploading footage for a few years now, since at least 2019 with an hour-long “let’s play” video seemingly being what resulted in the arrest.

Why was the YouTuber arrested?

The YouTuber in question was reportedly uploading videos and earning money from ad monetization despite not having permission.

After CODA and Kadokawa determined the man’s actions were malicious, the authorities were contacted. The YouTuber also reportedly admitted that he knew what the was doing was illegal.

YouTubers are encouraged to get permission from rights holders to upload content to avoid copyright infringement and action will be taken against others who post unauthorized content.

Even with permission, however, users are often limited in how much and what content they are allowed to post and monetize. Companies implement these policies in order to prevent spoilers and channels from profiting from significant story material.

In this case, for instance, the YouTuber posted the endings to Steins;Gate: My Darling’s Embrace, something prohibited by the rights holder.