New Japanese download laws: How worried do we need to be?

[MikieNes]

What are the implications for the average visitor to this forum and ones like it? Are we about to see hundreds of thousands arrested overnight? Any suggestions for self-protection?

[elgringo14]

The law will be enforced in October, you have still time to delete all your hard disk.

Seriously I don't foresee what will change for us, I hope nothing as our server is far away from Japan.

Also our japanese speaking friends can translate the article source, maybe it explains more:

http://internet.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20120620_541251.html

[MikieNes]

Thank you!

[with539]

http://www.japantoday.com/category/c...ith-jail-terms

[bobsley12]

Is peerblock enough? I doubt it... any other suggestions to be more invisible?

[Senior Idol]

I read the article from Japan Today. Does anyone know if the Japanese government is making an agreement with Interpol and the FBI to prosecute people in other countries, if the uploaders and downloaders are not located in Japan? The article suggested that the main concern in Japan was illegal downloading of music. I purchase legal CD's all of the music I own. But I would really miss Nana Ogura and many others. If Japan would simply allow the legal export and sale of DVD's to customers outside Japan or allow Americans, for example, to access official Japanese websites and PAY for downloads there, all would not be lost. But I cannot even access the SOD website from the USA without linking to a site in another country first.

Is this the end? Shall I sharpen my knife and prepare for ritual suicide? I do not think I can live, at my old age, without the beauty of Japanese women.

Senior Idol

[elgringo14]

For sure the main targets will be mainstream medias like movies, music, tv shows, video games.
On a second priority comes anime, idol videos (including Jr ?).
Adult stuff is probably the least thing the Japanese officials want to advertise about, so it should come at a low priority.

Also as far as I can see it, the law will concerns only japanese citizens. For any "foreign" material (like japanese release of western material) it could involve more people.

[Summer-Time-Fun]

I think this kind enforcement can only hurt sales. For example, one might be more reluctant to buy multiple items from from either a model, or a Music group only because you were given the opportunity to first sample the items free. This is bad for business.

I'll say this, I have no problem paying for things, and never did. However as someone else mentioned, there are many JP merchant-stores, and domain blocks from the outside world accessing Japanese sites, and I'm sure there are good reasons. But what worries me most about all this is that people outside of Japan who really appreciate this content will be isolated and left out with lesser options to buy. It's really sad.
.. I just hope that our friends to the east will keep a candle in the window for those of us who want a way back home.