Man arrested for Pokemon Images

[Zero Gravity]

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-11-02/man-arrested-for-posting-6-pokemon-images-before-games-shipped

http://bulbanews.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Arrest_made_over_CoroCoro_leak

Makoto Sekiguch was arrested for posting images of Chaoboo (Pokabu's evolution) several weeks before the games where shipped, arrested for "Copyright infringement".

Opinions?

[Leviathan Mist]

This makes me sad. Let's all find out more of Nintendo's secrets so we can post them and make them bawww, because in America, they can't pull that crap on us due to the first amendment :P

[EagleEyes]

That dude is a twit for stealling from his own company <.<

[mahay]

I don't really see how it's copyright infringement.

Can someone explain?

[Leviathan Mist]

I don't really see how it's copyright infringement.

Can someone explain?

It's not, it's just the only thing Nintendo could find to sue them for because they were butthurt that the images got leaked.

[twillÿ]

...it's just an image, get over it Nintendo?

[mahay]

...it's just an image, get over it Nintendo?

Yeah, it's not like the guy leaked all of that 'mon's stats or anything.

[SoulArbiter]

Wow. Just wow, Nintendo. It's all just a tad childish once you get down to it.

[moonhawk81]

Actually, it comes down to theft of intellectual property. And yes, Levi, that can be prosecuted over here.

[Rhetorical Gamer]

This guy is pretty brave dealing with a company that has the money
to make him disappear. But the fans must know what versions to buy!!!!
Fight the power man we must know!!!!!

[Leviathan Mist]

Actually, it comes down to theft of intellectual property. And yes, Levi, that can be prosecuted over here.

You make it sound like this is the CIA or something. These aren't nuclear bomb blueprints, these are f**king Pokemon.

[moonhawk81]

Calm down. I promise you, I have not written a single law. Unfortunately, some very uptight people have. . .

[Kanashimi]

Regardless of what it was, I do think arresting him was a bit much when a fine could have done the trick, I understand WHY it happened. I mean if someone leaked something like that I can understand from a business stand point how it can essentially hurt the business or even impact sales depending on the situation (I'm being fairly general here).

[Jubilee]

What I don't understand is that this is not the first time this has happened that I can remember...yet this fellow is getting quite the stick. Seems a tad unfair from my perspective...I am all for copyrights and such...but to serve years of your life in prison for this is a tad ludicrous.

[Leviathan Mist]

Calm down. I promise you, I have not written a single law. Unfortunately, some very uptight people have. . .

lol, I didn't intend to sound arrogant or angry, I was just trying to emphasize the fact that these are POKEMON we are speaking about, to make sure we're on the same page :P

It would be like if those people standing outside the Barnes and Noble bookstores got arrested for shouting out spoilers to the Harry Potter books. Where does the line between freedom of speech and copyright infringement begin?

[Jubilee]

It would be like if those people standing outside the Barnes and Noble bookstores got arrested for shouting out spoilers to the Harry Potter books. Where does the line between freedom of speech and copyright infringement begin?

Not sure where it begins...but in that situation, it rests right at D-bag. :awesome:

[moonhawk81]

lol, I didn't intend to sound arrogant or angry, I was just trying to emphasize the fact that these are POKEMON we are speaking about, to make sure we're on the same page :P

It would be like if those people standing outside the Barnes and Noble bookstores got arrested for shouting out spoilers to the Harry Potter books. Where does the line between freedom of speech and copyright infringement begin?

Sorry, not at all the same. In your example, the material has already been released into the market for public consumption. A "leak" is--by definition--material that has not been officially released. Thus, acknowledging the information to be owned by an entity, its leak is effectively theft.

Simply, I write poetry. But for the last three years I have been unable to submit any for publication because the government entity for which I worked, being a Federally-funded research facility, claimed as intellectual property the ideas and creations of all of its employees. Now that I've left their employ, I must still be careful during submission not to date any materials from this period. Not that they'd care about poetry specifically, but if someone had an axe to grind I might find myself sued--for my own verse!

[Zero Gravity]

I wasn't intending to give my opinions, but I may as well serve some food for thought.

Although while I agree (Yeah, even ME), it is JUST Pokemon. It needs to be noted Japan and America are two completely different countries, in similarity we have a respect for law, also in Japan, Games and Anime are Japan's hot ticket, the equivalent to movies, iPods and comic books in America, they have companies who pay to have their items posted in a magazine.

However thats where the line is drawn at our similarities. The big difference between our countries is in fact, our laws. Copyright Infringement has the same name but has different effects in different regions. Posting a leaked spoiler image from an upcoming Star Trek movie is highly likely, where in Japan is somewhat more Uncommon, but still taken into consideration. I don't know ALL the Japanese laws, but I can say that this is a somewhat serious subject (considering Japan's crime rate is as extreme as America's Extreme Volleyball Tournaments).

Still, I wish they at least told me how they caught him anyway.

[Osaka]

So this is why they were blackmailing sites like serebii.net?

[Zero Gravity]

So this is why they were blackmailing sites like serebii.net?

Threating to take legal action is a threat, not blackmailing, blackmailing would be "if you dont take the pictures down I'll down them pictures of you and that guy you thought was a chick from last week"

[TMKCodes]

C&D from nintendo is scary thing. Anyway he did copyright infringment because basically the copyright owner can state what can be done with the product and in this case it was nintendo.

[nerdwerld]

This reminds me of the Aqua Teen conspiracy a few years ago.