In a world where spoilers are as common as cat videos on YouTube, one might think that sharing a game’s ending is just another day in the digital age. But for one Japanese YouTuber, it turned out to be a costly mistake.
This somewhat ridiculous situation began when Yoshida uploaded three videos between September 2019 and May 2022, one of which showcased the ending of the 2011 visual novel ‘Steins;Gate: My Darling’s Embrace’. Now, for those unfamiliar with the world of visual novels, watching them can be akin to playing them.
So, by revealing the ending, Yoshida essentially gave away the climax of a book. As a result, Yoshida was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of 1 million yen (roughly $6,700) for this heinous crime.
Before you go ahead and think, “Oh, he must’ve been a young, naive gamer who didn’t know any better,” let’s set the record straight. Yoshida is 53. That’s right, folks. He’s old enough to remember when Pong was the pinnacle of gaming technology. But age didn’t save him from the wrath of the Japanese legal system.
The Content Overseas Distribution Agency, or CODA, as the leading prosecuting entity, contended that these actions could potentially rob the publisher, Spike Chunsoft, of sales. After all, why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free (on YouTube)?
So-called ‘fast content’ with videos and narration was uploaded to YouTube. All of these are malicious cases of posting videos containing content and endings (spoilers) without permission from the rights holders, gaining a lot of access and unfairly gaining advertising revenue through copyright infringement.
P.S. According to CODA’s description, fast content is the “act of combining only the movie scenes of a game with a story and editing it so that the content of the game can be understood in a short time up to the ending.”
The defense, on the other hand, painted Yoshida as a passionate fan, arguing that his actions, while perhaps misguided, weren’t particularly malevolent. The judge, perhaps a gamer himself, seemed to agree to an extent. Yoshida’s two-year prison sentence was suspended for five years, meaning he’ll avoid the slammer if he can resist the urge to post any more game spoilers during that period.
Interestingly, this case has set a precedent in Japan, marking the first time someone has been convicted for distributing video game footage under the Copyright Act. It’s a stark reminder of the cultural differences in how copyright law is perceived and enforced around the world. While a great number of Western gamers regularly share gameplay spoilers without a second thought, in Japan, the stakes are much higher.
In modern times, where content is king, it seems the crown comes with its own set of rules, and they vary depending on where you’re situated on the globe. So, game on, but maybe keep those spoilers to yourself. Or at least, out of Japan.
