Law making it illegal to download pirated music, videos goes into effect

Guy Fawkes, the central figure in England’s 1605 Gunpowder Plot to blow up parliament,

This is factually incorrect.

Anyhow, I'll be careful what I download from now on.

Well, it looks like VPN providers will hit a big windfall now.

I just don't understand how beating the old business model into the ground is done again and again. This is a great opportunity for Japan to get into a Netflix-style operation and clean up. But no. They're more concerned about the tiny bits of money they could have had.

The average musician only gets ~90yen per CD and the company recoups the production costs from the artists. The rest goes to the greedy fat cats. Now really, who's the criminal?

You have massive insider trading at Nomura... Olympus executives hiding billions in losses and they get a slap on the wrist.... but if Taro wants to download a video he could get 10 years in Jail. I can do nothing but shake my head and sigh.

Anyone downloading Arashi, Katun, Smap or any AKB/NMK/whatever48, etc should be put in jail for bad taste and noise pollution.

I imagine the Yakuza are planning a internet download version of the 'ore ore' scam as we speak.

It'd be an easy one: Show up at doorstep with dodgy credentials (internet police) claim someone at the house has been downloading movies, of a delicate nature, blame automatically shifts to computer nerd son, Mom empties the bank account to protect his name from being sullied as a 'known internet pirate porn downloader'.

pirate porn: Arrr!! leave the peg leg on me hearty.

Copying and Piracy are not the same thing. Non-rivalrous goods aren't usually pirated.

I cant believe tsutaya rents cd which have been easy to pirate for many a year. I mean, they sell blank cds and rent cds..: duuuuh??? And yet, games are harder to pirate but its illegal to rent them.... Ass backwards?

Do they give any warnings first? 3 strikes your out type deal (like in some countries)? I know allot of gaijin download tv shows, movies, music etc as not everything is released in Japan or when they are, movies in particular, they are sometimes over a year late. Also if there are warnings, I hope they give them to us in English. Not criticizing my net provider but on occasion when they have contacted me it has always been in Japanese and the person who does speak English isn't always very capable of speaking English well enough to be understood.

Time to cough up the cash for a VPN.

Is a VPN very effective? Better than a proxy? How about a VPN and a proxy?

A proxy will do you no good, if you are trying to hide your peer to peer sharing activity.

A VPN can be effective, it basically puts you under the legal jurisdiction of the VPN providers exit point.

I'm now using a VPN. 5 Euros a month is worth it to avoid potential grief. Downloads are much faster too since my internet provider started throttling torrents, but they can't throttle the VPN. I suppose they'll be calling me a "terrorist" next as all communications are now encrypted. If you do use a VPN make sure it's one that doesn't grass you up to the authorities.

Note that nobody has been jailed or fined over the Fukushima incident, yet download a single music file and you are looking at two years in prison. Something is very wrong with the legal system in Japan.

They will have to build new prisons to house all the You Tube users.

So how do you tell the difference between illegal downloaded files and legally downloaded files? Generally speaking, if some has a cd with the music on it but also has a downloaded copy of the song, in most countries this would not be illegal. It's usually not illegal to copy a file from one format into another and mixing them. But how does this law see this? If the Japanese music industry thinks that copy right had anything to do with increased popularity of Korean music, well, it's just sad.

It's all about what is deemed 'pirated" material. If you say that you were not downloading pirated music and videos then you have nothing to worry about.

streaming is not equal to downloading.. but I suggest investing in a vpn

I'm not clear on the dividing lines...

No one seems to be at this point. Viewing youtube et al or downloading from files attached to received e-mails seem to be OK. Beyond that, the interpretation seems to be purely based on whether the act was "intentional under knowledge of the file in question being pirated" or otherwise, which is going to be a really grey area and which is raising concerns among those in objection to the new law. Don't think Tsutaya is going to sell blank disks going forward.

Where would you VPN to though...you need a VPN enabled firewall on the other side...

Gone overboard.

How about the Tor-Network? I'm not in Japan so no risks for me, but I have used the Tor-Network for some time and that seemed to be doing just fine when it came to masking my IP. Downside was that it slowed down my computer a lot.

Is this law retroactive?

Instead of voting a law for downloading illegal music, they should vote a law against all those child pornographic hentai and light novel! Those should be illegal!!

To stay on topic: the governments of several countries are way too easily influenced by the entertainment lobby. In my country it is illegal to download software (songs are fine usually) but the government and its friends go after the website and not the downloaders themselves... which means unlimited downloading and a very ineffective anti-download policy. Makes much more sense than these crazy fines and jail time penalties.

I have similar concerns as those above. Does anyone know the details? Can we watch tv shows from back home through streaming? How about porn? X Videos? RedTube etc?

I will continue to download whatever I want, and nobody will ever show up at my door.

This is a complete non-event.

Just gonna be a bit more careful but i assume this will also be mostly talk and no action. I assume its mostly to hit the people that share japanese movies and music because that is the only place they can lose a bit of money. Downloading american movies or tvshows doesnt hurt the jgov one bit

Pretty soon someone will figure out a way to charge for the air we breathe. Who says oxygen was free?

Not true papigiulio. It would depend on if it's licensed in Japan and most probably are.

What about downloading photos illegally? That is the largest source of lost revenue for artists, far more than "pirated" music.

And hell, people want to be able to watch things without paying 8000 yen for a new bluray or 3000 yen for a goddamn cd. These companies should just be boycotted until they collapse or start issuing 2000 yen blurays and 1000 yen cds like in the rest of the civilized world.

Im using Hotspot Shield its good and free VPN

Despite how often government agencies make laws, private industry is always one step ahead. All the peeps here switching, or already switching to VPS is a prime example.

I guess the next phase of DL'ing copyrighted material will be via cloud based services like Dropbox. Unsurprisingly there is no mention in any of this law about what would happen if say your friend in the US put a TV show in a shared Dropbox folder and you just watched the show from there - I'm guessing this is ok. I'm no expert, but can your ISP actually open files in your Dropbox, Google Drive, etc? If you just changed the file name to something unintelligible it would be impossible for them to track, surely.

Anyone have good recommendation of a VPN to use from Japan that doesnt slow down your connection?

Does anyone have a take on whether the Japanese authorities are mainly interested in Japanese content? I often read about this new law in context with the losses of the Japanese music industry. Prosecuting a Japanese downloader over Japanese content is one thing, one might suppose. Prosecuting the same person over non-Japanese content might be another.

From what I understand, people will only be prosecuted if the artist/owner of the copyrighted material files a criminal complaint.....

So basically, if some famous J-pop artist finds out someone's been distributing their stuff for free online, the offender will be persecuted, but stuff like Soulseek, etc. will probably still be completely off the radar. Worst that could happen is Soulseek or other such P2P programs could be blocked somehow from any access from a computer in Japan if, say, some famous Japanese artist or label found their stuff on there....

Streaming content, e.g. on youtube or xyztube, is specifically exempt.

This is a step in the right direction.

Well damnit.

Finally upgrade from Wimax to Flets Fiber internet and this law comes into effect.

Whats all this talk about VPNs? I thought they could arrest you for just being in possession of the material... In which case it doesnt matter where/how you get it from, as soon as you download it to your PC you could be targeted.

Or is that just to hide the activity and allow you to stream stuff without being snooped on?

I wonder how they expect to police P2P and torrent sites...many torrents are legal

Thomas ProskowOct. 02, 2012 - 10:30AM JST

From what I understand, people will only be prosecuted if the artist/owner of the copyrighted material files a criminal complaint.....

So basically, if some famous J-pop artist finds out someone's been distributing their stuff for free online, the offender will be persecuted, but stuff like Soulseek, etc. will probably still be completely off the radar. Worst that could happen is Soulseek or other such P2P programs could be blocked somehow from any access from a computer in Japan if, say, some famous Japanese artist or label found their stuff on there....

Question is how they can launch a complaint without:

1) Hacking into people's networks

2) Misrepresenting themselves online, possibly distributing the materials themselves

3) Having the police involved in wiretapping

4) First informing the alleged downloader that their personal data will be given to a third party which alleges "piracy".

5) Representing someone else's copyright or neighboring rights, perhaps against their will

How will they define what is allowed and what is not under fair use? If someone makes a remix using small clips of audio for non-commercial use and puts it up on youtube or something, is everyone that even looks at it liable?

So many questions, and so many loopholes. Personally, I hope people start putting their stuff on the internet using creative commons by-nc-sa, and just wait for the major companies to integrate it to their music and videos, then send all those guys to jail and clean up the music and video industries once and for all.

This is it for me and Japan. Ill put up with a lot of inconvenience and discomfort in order to live here with my husband, but this really is the last straw.

There is no way to legally watch a lot of tv shows. We pay a fortune for sky perfect, but still they are way behind, and the programming is 60 percent adverts.

I worry this is the thin end of the wedge, and other civil liberties will be next on the agenda for this country run by corrupt and greedy old men.

this is steve job's doing... out from thneedville!

This kind of law is not good for Japan. It puts more restriction in a society that already lacks freedom.

Japan will never be a creative country if this kind of restriction keep being applied.

At the moment, Japan doesnt need creativity, because it is easy to copy everything from its closest ally, the USA, or from the European.

But The question is... is this kind of japanese behaviour sustainable? Is it really a progress?

3) Having the police involved in wiretapping

well, that's been legal in Japan for many years already, no warrant required

If there is no up loader there is no downloader. track them down first, but I bet you can trace them, they are scattered all over the world. you can't get money from us where are paying 4000+ yen for internet or connected to free wifi.

@Homeschooler

So without watching foreign TV, you can't live here?Great requirement...

Should be easy enough. Just have the authorities walk into ANY music/DVD rental shop in Japan and arrest the owners -- I mean, those blank DVDs/MDs/CDs for sale beside the register can only be for legitimate purposes, right? But they won't. They'll ignore their own laws to go after the small fish.

Its the last straw, Tairitsuiken.

I give up a lot to be here, and to have to watch endless year old repeats on overpriced skyplus, or spend my only time off in the evenings watching absolutely beyond crap japanese tv is taking my last bit of comfort.

I have a whole bunch of children, I cant go out in the evenings, my downtime is watching tv or movies. You cant even rent up to date movies in Japan, you have to wait so long for them. This kind of crackdown is absolutely the last straw for me and this dive of a virtual police state.

Why not just TAKE TO THE STREETS like the anti-nuke plant demonstrators do?

and how could they track those downloading "illegal" if you are connected to free wifi, or wifi with 10 user connected? blame to the owner?

Mention filesharing/downloading and out come the diwliading masses, horrified that they can't go about their business as usual. Well guess what. If you're not paying for, you're taking it and that has been illegal throughout history. Nothing new here. That said, I think especially the movie industry have dealt with this the wrong way. They have, from the very beginning opposed the simplicity brought along with the Internet. Instead of making customers they have created downloaders and it seems very difficult to convince those people of the benefits of purchasing content.

I remember listening to the Iron Man 2 commentary track when director Jon Favreau in the end asked viewers to refrain from dowloading his movie. Made a whole lot of sense to me.

In the end, it's important to remember that copying/downloading might affect normal people, working hard to produce something good. I, for one, would like to support those people.

Here is an excellent VPN for about $70 a year. hidemyass.com They have great service.

For all of you people thinking you can hide behind one though, that is not true. Keep away from movies two years or newer, especially if you use one of their state side servers.

Use servers from other places in the world. They have a huge list. Plus for each server, you can change the IP over andover again. Move around when down loading meaning keep changing servers.

If you download from the states, and the motion picture industry sees you doing it, they will contact the VPN service and they will send you a note asking you not to do it, as it goes against their user agreement. They emphasize that you should not do it through AMERICA....I know,.....believe me. The VPN would not give your name though nor where you live or static IP  address.

They are a good company. Great for watching brand new American TV etc. Plus safer for banking.

This is why I listen to K pop more than J pop. It's way more creative and accessible. And I'm Japanese.

There is no way to legally watch a lot of tv shows. We pay a fortune for sky perfect, but still they are way behind, and the programming is 60 percent adverts.

Yes, sky perfect TV is a complete rip off. The program scheduling and the high repetitive commercial content are terrible. Getting the latest programs is impossible because all the dubbing and translating has to be done first. However, I don't think HBO and Showtime are going to go to expense and trouble of pressing criminal charges in Japan, where there is only a comparative small number of people downloading their content. Probably the authorities here will want a few showcase trials of those who have downloaded a lot of J-pops and Japanese video games.

I pay for sky, I would be happy to pay for HBO, or other programming but there is NO way for me to do so, and get the content in a timely fashion.

Give me a way to pay for it, and Ill pay. Sky would have it on in a year anyway, and I pay for that year in year out.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/askjack/2012/may/17/vpn-internet-privacy-security

This is a very good article for those thinking about getting a VPN.

For whoever asked about Tor for downloading, it is a no-no among Tor users as it slows down everybody's traffic. So while it might be a safe way for you, it might hinder people who use Tor for things like overthrowing tyrannical gov'ts and such.

For people using Hide My Ass, they have been upfront that they DO cooperate with the law and you are using your credit card to buy the software/service. However, they are located in the UK and will only follow UK law. If the Japanese gov't wants to get you, they will have to do the following: get a warrant to search the HMA database, cross-reference the time the material was downloaded with what time you used your ISP, then send a complaint to HMA, in turn HMA will ask you to delete the movie. HMA will not give out your personal information (provided you aren't hacking gov't agencies like the FBI like Lulzsec did).

Another handy thing about HMA is that you can change your ISP to another country to be able to watch Hulu or other location restricted content.

Once massive companies retract their heads from their number two tunnels, I will be happy to pay reasonable prices for content. Until then, I will happily help them tighten their belts.

They'll soon arrest someone as a way to show how this law is effective. The unlucky one will pay millions and will be incarcerated for some months or years.

Just give it a few months for the dust to settle. They will be hard pushed to track every file downloaded through peer to peer networks and even if they do, there are not enough judges in Japan to prosecute everyone. Guess I will have to renew my TSUTAYA card and start ripping DVDs again.

Whats all this talk about VPNs? I thought they could arrest you for just being in possession of the material... In which case it doesnt matter where/how you get it from, as soon as you download it to your PC you could be targeted.

Well true. But how do they know if you are likely to have the material? I think the main concerns people have is that to police this law, the authorities, most like working with ISPs will start to snoop on people. An invasion of privacy. So get a VPN and get your privacy back.

I can't seem to be able to access Piratebay today. Wonder if my internet provider has blocked it?

Someone in government must be very pleased with themselves. It would have taken a big load of cash to move this through parliament with next to no discussion. It's pretty easy to see who is financing this endeavor too. Just look at the affected media types.

ADK99Oct. 02, 2012 - 01:38PM JST

I can't seem to be able to access Piratebay today. Wonder if my internet provider has blocked it?

Try using a proxy and get back. ISPs blocking web pages is a big issue, even if the pages are known to link to pirated files (none hosted technically). If they did block it, only a matter of time before youtube and similar sites are taken down illegally.

@2020hindsights

I believe this law is mostly "for the record". Japan is still pretty lax when it comes to enforcing piracy but they are part of the ACTA treaty (on paper anyway) and I think this law tightening is a way of showing showing fellow membership states that they are complying with the guidelines.

I don't see that this will make that big a difference in reality. More than anything, this seems to be a tool they can use if they come across some heavyweight downloaders

And, as Zichi said, If applied, foreigners are hardly the target. Unless they download obscene amount of Japanese entertainment industry content (which they don't).

Someone in government must be very please with themselves. It would have taken a truckload of cash to get this passed through parliament with next to no discussion. They kept it pretty quiet too, so almost no media coverage until it was too late. It's no secret who is paying their salary though, just look at the affected media types. It's plain as day.

Have you noticed now on You-tube that when you try to watch a video, an ad comes up. Lately, that "skip this ad" button comes up later making you watch a boring ad in Japanese. So, since they are going to crack down on illegal content, will they also go after the companies that post ads on You-tube that you have to watch before you skip them and get to the video? Also, if they are concerned about royalties, shouldn't You-tube be the one since they are hosting and getting ad revenue from the pop ups?

I don't think that they are losing money on pirated J-music, but rather because it is lame and no one wants to listen to that stuff when there are other things out there to hear.

So get a VPN and get your privacy back.

Thanks. I have always been under the impression that people who do nothing wrong shouldnt be afraid of invasion of privacy, but the thought of being fined/arrested for watching a something on Youtube which they decide as piracy is making me consider this (that and the idea of using Roku to watch net movies etc)

I can't seem to be able to access Piratebay today. Wonder if my internet provider has blocked it?

I hope not, that's where I get a good amount of video content from. What service provider are you using, JCOM?

Things like music, Ill listen on youtube, or the clip on itunes, and purchase the tracks. For instance I wanted the new Bob Dylan album, and purchased the tracks I wanted from itunes, after weeding out the weak tracks I didn't want. Same goes for other music I wanted. Im happy to pay for services provided.

There isnt a way to buy timely access to tv or movies in English. If there was, Ild gladly give them my money. In fact I do give them the money by paying for Sky, I just don't get the content. I pay for the privilege of a lot of adverts and year-old content on at odd times of the day. The VOD content is mostly only in Japanese and very limited anyway.

Other things you can find fixes for, and put up with the inconvenience. I can go to Costco and buy imported, safe food. I can homeschool the children. We can have regular trips to see loved ones. That said Japan is getting more and more unliveable by the year.

I'll be downloading tor today. No one is stopping me from getting my UFC matches. This problem could be easily solve if more services like Hulu would open up to the international community.

I can't seem to be able to access Piratebay today. Wonder if my internet provider has blocked it?

I read (on Slashdot) that they had a problem with a faulty PDU. There were worries that it might be connected to the Swedish police once again raiding and confiscating 4 servers from PRQ.

I tried to download a LEGAL software from Apple called, "Motion 5" after not being able to get any connection. Yes, all the visa card and such info was registered correctly in the iTunes Store...Even called the Apple Store (Tokyo) and they said it's my computer. Finally got an answer from the USA Apple and they wrote that they don't have it in Japan. What? I read it on the Japanese Apple Web Page. I messed around for over a week trying to figure what was wrong... I was willing to pay for it. Why is it advertised on the J~Apple Web Page with a click to BUY button. (which didn't work anyway). Why Ican't I just download it from the USA Apple site? Finally, got the torrent download FREE. This law is unconstitutional. So, what...they are going to make more money? Demonoid & Piratebay DOWN!!!! and we fight for freedom in Iraq & Afghanistan!

And, as Zichi said, If applied, foreigners are hardly the target.

I know two foreigners who were warned by their provider about movies. This was a few years ago. It seems new movies and TV are the main focus, or have been so far.

Homeschooler

There isnt a way to buy timely access to tv or movies in English.

I have the same problem and this law is just pushing me to use a VPN. With a VPN you can act as though you are in the US and hence use US HULU etc. Some video services require you use a US credit card, so I'll be investigating getting a disposable credit card with a US address. That way I can pay for content and watch it in a timely fashion.

I got a warning from a web site watch group about a month ago saying my Primus (Live WOW Fuji Rock Festival 2005? video) Upload was against the law. It was on YouTube for years without a complaint. Anyway, how much money is Primus going to lose? None. Les isn't a greed bag rock star like the rest of them. There's no DVD of the concert. What is their problem?

Remember, if they do decide to arrest a gaijin for downloading we are more than likely going to face deportation and a fine, rather than jail time. Or jail time + a fine + deportation. Sucks I know... but we are still a minority here.

it's really hard to prove that you intentionally downloaded an illegal copy of a audio/video file unless:

entrapment - you unwittingly downloaded a file from the copyright owner who saw and recorded your every move. but then if the owner owns the file, then the file must not be illegal. you're downloading a legal copy without any intention of paying. lol

the authorities have the ability to compare digitally the file you are downloading whether it is illegal or not. it will also mean that they will be spying on you all the time.

For more information visit here http://designersx.com/illegaldownloadersinjapanfacetwoyearsinprison/

Something is very wrong with the legal system in Japan.

This pretty much sums it up.

This is it for me and Japan. Ill put up with a lot of inconvenience and discomfort in order to live here with my husband, but this really is the last straw.

I feel the same way. It's really the principal of the thing. This country has some seriously screwed up aspects--the justice system is definitely one of them. The education system, the health system are also sorely lacking. Not to mention the threat of a major earthquake! I can no longer list even five things that I really like about living here. It's sad but true...

Read less than half the comments will read later, am curious about vpn, and if it will really work or not.

However, isn't everyone overreacting? dnlding will be the crack-dn on crime campaign of choice for the next week or two, and then be forgotten about after that, when the cops move on to speeding, or ppl dancing or something. No?

Hulu isnt up to date - the latest Grey's Anatomy episode on there is 2010, only the first season of Glee etc. Up to date programming still isnt available.

Patrick, I totally agree. Its time to make a serious effort to wind up everything in Japan and move, despite the financial issues in doing so.

What kind of country bans tv shows and dancing? It would be funny if it weren't so sinister.

Take a look at this for VPN providers that won't grass you up (HMA isn't one of them)

http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-providers-really-take-anonymity-seriously-111007/

The one I use doesn't keep logs, doesn't have my real name or real address and I don't pay with a credit card. I can also use Hulu and BBC iPlayer, so I don't need to download so much any more.

Tunnelbear VPN $50/year unlimited, Netflix $7/month, access to Hulu, BBC iplayer etc= great access to tons of tv and movies. I even watch on my iPad n iPhone. Cancelled my Skyperfect after I found out about this

Downloading the latest Boardwalk right now...see what happens but thinking about one of those VPNs eventually. I don't use Skype, although it's free I prefer to just pay 10 yen per minute to just simply pick up the phone with my Hikari phone service and simply dial and talk rather than screwing around with headset, software and volume settings, etc. which is really annoying.

Same idea for downloading content? Have some reasonably priced service where you can download anything you want for good price/convenience balance that makes it more attractive to do that rather than screwing around with torrent lists and VPN configurations - while worrying about getting busted the whole time. The only question is what would be a workable price for this to fly?

No one is stopping me from getting my UFC matches.

Be careful.... About 4 years ago when I had a different internet company I got 2 letters saying they caught me downloading, and one of them was for UFC. I got a 3rd letter about a year later and that's when I decided to stop the mass downloading. I needed the internet for business and there was no way I could handle even a simple dropped service situation. It can take up to 6 weeks to get new service from a new company in Japan.

Hulu isnt up to date

I tried Hulu Japan....absolutely a waste of money. Twice as expensive as the US version and maybe 20% of the shows. I settled on a $10 a month VPN and Netflix/Hulu from the US.

I will continue to download whatever I want, and nobody will ever show up at my door.

Exactly. I still drive with an International license too after being in Japan for several years. Not one single cop who has pulled me over has ever said anything about it being "illegal".

News flash for all those claiming the police would have to perform some sort of wiretapping to catch you: With every packet of data involved in a request you make over the internet, you're providing a unique identifier to your computer. That's THOUSANDS of "signatures" you're sending out for each file you download. They're there whether you make the request directly or through an "anonymous" (yeah, RIGHT!) proxy server. Think about it, if the proxy server TRULY made you anonymous, how would the file packets know how to get back to you? I could run a packet through 10 different "anonymous" servers, and on the other end the only thing that would have changed is the IP address in the "from" field of the packet. The MAC address field would be identical to the one on the sending computer.

Tracking you down that way isn't cheap or easy, but if you make enough of a nusiance of yourself, they CAN track you down. Some ISPs would be inconvenienced, some might be shut down, but if they really wanted to get you, THEY WOULD. It's all a matter of risk/reward. Is your level of piracy low enough to make it a good risk?

Personally, I would think the Spam industry would be where the authorities hone their tracking skills. Once you start to read about major spammers being jailed, then it might be time to re-evaluate your level of pirate activities.

Do the new laws include streaming websites, too?

@Fadamor

What you are saying may apply to proxies but vpns are much more secure.

After reading this article and subsequent messages I signed up with a vpn last night.

Seems excellent... why didn't I do this before?

It's ironic but I now feel more secure than ever...

Well, for those who have vented on here saying that the laws in Japan are going to far restricting creativity and freedom in a country run by greedy old salarymen, I am in perfect 100% agreement. Laws against dancing in clubs, internet downloads, and even tattoos are all just thinly veiled attempts at tightening the government's control and suffocating Japanese culture by making it the most conservative country on earth, infinitely worsened by the fact that Japanese culture revolves around compliance, respecting your superiors and avoiding confrontation.

Now about downloading and it's moral implications, I tend to treat music downloading the same as tape-trading of old. I do not listen to mainstream music, so the "Japanese music industry" do not and will never have to worry about me DLing their stuff, because I don't buy it any of their stuff anyways. As for the music I DO download, it's mostly rare/out of print stuff that isn't available anyways. I still buy CDs, still support the underground music scene, and only DL stuff I CAN'T buy!!! I am also not opposed to DLing sources for sampling or using for creative purposes, as long as they either A. acknowledge the source, or B. alter it enough that it's not a complete rip off.

Fadamor

They're there whether you make the request directly or through an "anonymous" (yeah, RIGHT!) proxy server.

That's why you use a VPN instead.

Do the new laws include streaming websites, too? I just read an interview with a Japanese lawyer on Gaijinpot that said streaming was not counted with this law - because you are not 'saving' it

They also said that someone sending you a copy of an MP3 doesnt count, because it is a personal transaction.

http://forum.gaijinpot.com/showthread.php?120519-Illegal-downloading

For people like Homeschooler who are willing to pay for content from the States, there are two other options. The first will cost you a bit of extra cash, and that's investing in a VPN service in order to access streaming sites like Netflix or Hulu Plus (I know Hulu is now available in Japan, but their selection is shit). If you have a media player like PS3 or Apple TV, you can stream stuff through those and onto your TV (or you can just connect your computer to your TV).

The service I use is unblock-us.com. It's $4.99 USD a month, so that comes out to around ¥400 and lets me access Netflix and Hulu Plus (which are also paid and unblock-us provides guides for how to use a non-US credit card to pay for them). FYI, this is not a VPN service meant for torrenting, it only really works with sites unblock-us adds to their list. But if you're looking to stay legal and still have access to TV and movies from back home, I haven't noticed any real slowdown compared to my regular Internet connection. There are occasional slow periods, but for the most part, I can be streaming all day without any trouble.

Netflix is perfect for movies while Hulu is better for TV shows -- lots of shows are updated as new episodes air (and it's introduced me to shows I may not have otherwise thought to seek out on my own). Sometimes you even get episodes in advance -- I saw the series premiere of Revolution a few weeks before it aired on TV. You can also use this for pay-per-view rental services like Vudu, CinemaNow, or Amazon Prime.

The other option doesn't require a VPN and it's iTunes. Yes, there is region blocking on the iTunes store, but it only region-blocks based on where your credit card is from. If you have a US credit card, you have no problem. If you don't, then what you do is go to the iTunes Store and scroll all the way down to the bottom. In the lowest, right-hand corner is a circular flag representing the region you're in, just click on that and you'll be brought to a page to change your region. Select United States and then it'll bring you to the US store and ask you to create an account, but click no. Then go over to the Apps page and click any free app. From here it will ask you to create an account and do so. Once you've done that, cancel the app download and you'll have an account without having to had enter credit card info. You can load up your iTunes account with gift card points, and you can buy the codes for these cards at any number of sites (I use OffGamers.com a lot, for that and PSN points). You can rent movies and buy TV shows, both in HD and SD. With TV shows, you can either buy individual episodes or entire seasons. For shows in progress, you can buy a season pass that basically acts as a pre-order for the entire season and you can download all the episodes that have already been released and future episodes will be automatically downloaded. And if you have an Apple TV, you can stream your iTunes library right to your TV.

DP812, many many thanks. I just managed to get over the region blocking thanks to you, and set up a US itunes account to purchase whole seasons as they come out. You have just saved my evenings from having to watch Ellen repeats on Sky. I do want to stay legal, as harsh as those laws are, simply because I dont want or need the hassle or worry. I tried to get an itunes US account before and just couldnt get it to work for me.

Happy to help. I'm with you, I'd prefer to stay legal and I have zero problem paying for the shows and movies I want to watch. This seems like the perfect solution -- I get to watch stuff legally, the content providers get my money, everyone's happy.

Well, maybe except for the price-gougers at Sky, but screw them.

FadamorOct. 03, 2012 - 03:23AM JST

The MAC address field would be identical to the one on the sending computer.

Good thing that the MAC is no longer accessible directly, and is always software provided (and therefore able to be changed). In fact, a lot of spammers do just that to avoid detection, and worse yet, they could be using your MAC address without you knowing about it. MAC address is only as useful as IP addresses, to say it's a bad idea to base a case solely on that, though investigations start there.

However, in order for the copyright holder to even get your MAC address/IP address, they have to either ask police to monitor internet traffic for them (horrible thing against the law actually, since they are not allowed to provide investigation information to non-police entities), or they have to wiretap you themselves...

Unless they send you the file in which case it's no longer illegal since the copyright holder/authorized party was the one sending the files.

Not interested in content from the US, but I would like access to UK TV. I used to use UKNova, a torrent site that provided only stuff that was not available commercially (either on DVD or pay-for channels), until the blankedy-blank FACT threatened them with legal action. Any advice on how to get UK TV legally? I'd be happy to pay the BBC license fee, if it were valid outside the UK.

Cleo: If you just want to use BBC iPlayer sign up for a VPN which has a server in the UK. Ask them for a free trial first to make sure it works OK as some of them can be a bit slow. But even if it is too slow to stream you can often download the programmes from iPlayer to watch later.

Now that UK Nova is gone I am using thebox.bz, but many programmes are also on the pirate bay or eztv.it.

Thank you Scrote, I'll look into it (though at the moment I have no idea what a VPN is!...) Downloading would suit me better, then I can watch when I choose.

The box.bz is pretty good. Lots of interesting shows. Everything posted there has to be at least 2/3 British produced stuff.

However, like some similar sites, you do have to register. You also have to be willing to seed and maintain a decent ratio in order to keep your account in good standing and avoid being disabled. Most of these sites want you to seed for at least 24 hours. It's not too hard to maintain a good ratio if you don't mind downloading some of the fluff listed as "free" and seeding for a day or so. It's more of an honor system than anything, but they do clean house every now and then and low ratio/inactive accounts sometimes get tossed.

They don't like proxys and other things that can be used to mask your IP. Such things are considered to be a bannable offense. Lots of similar sites have similar policies and enforcement tends to be lax, but there are no guarantees.

Another way to get around the iTunes Store regional restrictions and access the iTunes Store for your home country without using a credit card is to have somebody back home buy you an iTunes gift card and email you the code. Or, do it yourself when your visiting. Then just create a new iTunes account for that country and then enter the card code.

Went into an Apple Store while on vacation in Honolulu, bought a card, and had one of the employees help me create an account cause I wanted some stuff from the US Store. Works fine for me.

If you ever find your account running out of money, just have someone back home buy you another card and email you the code.

Should work the same (only in reverse) if you have friends back home interested in stuff from the Japan iTunes Store.

Everyone should be running "peer block" A simple piece of software that blocks known monitoring isp's from connecting your device.

hmmm, sounds like this law is going to make people into hackers and force many into the cyber criminal world. Yes, JP TV is pretty bad with the occasional great program no matter how rare. There always FTA.

Any advice on how to get UK TV legally? I'd be happy to pay the BBC license fee, if it were valid outside the UK.

Unblock Us also works with the BBC iPlayer. Not sure if that's what you mean here, but it will work with content not only from the US, but elsewhere (http://support.unblock-us.com/customer/portal/articles/291570).

If you ever find your account running out of money, just have someone back home buy you another card and email you the code.

And if you don't have anyone back home who can do this for you, there are tons of sites that offer gift card codes for the US iTunes store. I use it regularly and have not had any problems.

Everyone should be running "peer block" A simple piece of software that blocks known monitoring isp's from connecting your device.

The problem with PeerBlock is that it's only "known" ISPs, if there are other ones or new ones, they won't be included. I know the lists are constantly updated, but if you're going to take the downloading risk, you're much better off using a dedicated VPN that doesn't keep logs.

hmmm, sounds like this law is going to make people into hackers and force many into the cyber criminal world. Yes, JP TV is pretty bad with the occasional great program no matter how rare. There always FTA.

The entertainment industry all over the world is operating on outdated models and they're trying to hold onto those models for as long as they can so they don't have to do more work innovating. I'm fully convinced that if content providers found a way to make it easy for people to watch what they want to watch, when they want to watch, and how they want to watch it, then people would happily pay for those options as opposed to resorting to piracy.

As it stands now, though, most cable packages I had access to when I lived in the States consisted of paying a ridiculous amount of money for what amounted to maybe five shows I actually wanted to watch (I've never even looked at the cable packages in Japan and from everything I've heard, it seems like I made the right decision). I'd rather see if I can catch the show on Hulu Plus or wait until the full season comes onto Netflix -- those two combined with the Unblock Us service costs me around ¥2000 per month.

what abt the free online games, and you tube music no downloading just watching and listening is that count as a crime?

If they don't like digital media then go back to analog, make your cashola, then release it on digital. No point in using a technology that by its nature allows sharing if you can't handle it.

You can't make 100% profit. It's nutty

I will continue to stream and watch all my favorite shows without fear of prosecution - everybody stop panicking NOTHING is going to happen to us. We are untouchable.

basroil:

And hell, people want to be able to watch things without paying 8000 yen for a new bluray or 3000 yen for a goddamn cd. These companies should just be boycotted until they collapse or start issuing 2000 yen blurays and 1000 yen cds like in the rest of the civilized world.

Indeed. While shopping for CDs in Japan, there were many 2500-yen and 4000-yen CDs that I would have bought, had they not been so expensive. So I figured out a way to change my iTunes to Japan after returning, and now I buy CDs there for a more reasonable 1500-yen. No liner notes, but oh well.

Being from Nashville, I'm quite familiar with music publishing companies (known to us old people as record companies), copyright law, and piracy complaints. But if media companies in Japan want to go after Japanophiles in America, UK, or anywhere else for downloading Japanese TV shows, movies, or music, I suggest they consider offering them in those countries first. Maybe they would actually find a new market and income instead of paying attorneys to be... attorneys.

I'll throw this out there since I have some limited experience with VPNs and all.

I have a VPN subscription that I used to get Netflix in Japan. It worked sort of well, but the speed was slow sometimes to the point of being unwatchable. I had one wireless router configured with the VPN, so any wired or wireless connection to the router could get a US IP address and access to US content.

In the last couple of weeks, I found some DNS solutions on the net for US (paid) content like netflix. One is Unotelly.com and the other is UnblockUS.com. There was also tunlr.net for free, but they blocked access to netflix. It can still be used for other content, to include the BBC. I went with UnblockUS because I couldn't get Unotelly to work, probably my issue. Not sure how reputable a DNS server is since all plain language internet addresses get converted by a DNS server to a numerical IP address, which could be a easy way to do fishing schemes, e.g., replacing normal websites with criminal ones. There are also somewhat advanced ways to configure a router to only forward specific websites to the DNS server, which would protect you from a fishing type attack. The DNS server works very well speedwise. The system should allow you to access US content (netflix, HBO, Amazon, Hulu Plus, etc.) and maybe BBC's iVideo (?) from Japan.

As far as torrents go, I use some kind of IP blocker when using it. Not sure how well it works. Basically, the MPA will get a list of all IP addresses using a particular torrent to share a movie or music. There are automated ways to do make list based on some recent news articles. The MPA then contacts some blood thirsty attorneys, and the law suit is on.

I would go through the VPN with my torrents, but I will let that subscription expire since I have a better netflix solution.

I will need to check the IP blocker again to see if it is real or what-not.

However, if you want some limited form of protection when using a torrent, use a VPN. You can transmit to the VPN with encryption. So, the connection between your PC and the VPN should be secure. J cops will have no clue what you are receiving. Going from the VPN to the net is not secure. So, the MPA may track the torrent to the VPN provider. The VPN provider may then be required to give your IP address, credit card information, etc. if under a court order. My guess, not likely. There are probably easier fish to fry.