Doujinshi and copyright

different
attitudes
towards Doujinshi
USA is more
rigid
Japan
tolerates
and
encourages;
sees Doujinshi as
free advertising
and
breeding ground
for new manga talents
DOUJINSHI
and
Doujinshi exists in
tandem
with manga so what is the
relationship
between doujinshi and manga?
symbiotic
co-existence
:
benefits
mainstream manga market
appropriation
of original manga content encourages
interest
in original manga content which
perpetuates
the creation of Doujinshi
triangular
model
the Doujinshi artist is the
connecting
point between the manga artist and the audience
why doesn't Doujinshi flourish in the USA?

different attitudes
Japan's
context
Doujinshi useful for manga industry to
spot talent
promotional opportunity f
or mainstream manga
ammoku no gyokai
silent treatment
produce
limited
editions
avoid
selling too many copies

Japan's
Copyright
Law
author's
moral rights
lack of
generalised fair view provision
doesn't require copyright holder to pursue
every single violation
copyright litigation is
time consuming
and awards
lesser amounts
to plaintiff compared to the
USA

Japan's
cultural norms
and values
inhibit
manga and anime artists from
asserting their legal rights
to obstruct infringements of their works
development of
"borrowing" characters
suggests appropriating original works may have been
historically accepted
in contrast to the
USA's

negative
views towards "borrowing"
Copyrights
MANGA WORLD

what is doujinshi?
self created work by non-professional artists or professional artist
Why?
Satisfy fans (as always) by uncovering new innovative plot lines centered around their favourite characters
throw characters from original copyrighted works into new scenarios without consent
sell them to others (eg: comiket)

CONFLICT WITH COPYRIGHTS
1) Doujinshi and copyright
2) Doujinshi and official Manga industry
Friends or foes
3) Why only in Japan?
Overview
Brief overview of Copyright law
The laws in Manga and Doujinshi