DEFEATING Shueisha Copyright: Your ULTIMATE Guide

Summary

This video serves as a comprehensive guide to dealing with copyright strikes from Shueisha, particularly in the anime and manga content creator community. The creator shares personal experiences with takedowns, explaining how Japanese copyright laws impact creators on platforms like YouTube. Key points include why Shueisha targets smaller channels, effective strategies to prevent strikes, and what to do when faced with one. Practical advice on using fair use principles, transforming content, and navigating YouTube's counter-notification system is also provided, with a special focus on creators who work with anime clips and manga panels.

Takeaways

• 😀 Shueisha, the Japanese company behind popular anime and manga, actively targets content creators who share anime clips and manga panels due to Japan's lack of fair use laws.
• 😀 Smaller content creators are often the primary target for copyright strikes because they lack a large community to advocate on their behalf.
• 😀 Shueisha typically initiates 'witch hunts' for copyright strikes during specific times of the year, often following a quarterly pattern (spring and fall).
• 😀 To reduce the risk of receiving copyright strikes, creators should limit the length of anime clips to around 4-5 seconds and avoid showing manga panels with dialogue or speech bubbles.
• 😀 It is essential to transform manga panels by altering colors or adding effects to make them appear more transformative and reduce the chance of strikes.
• 😀 Content creators should avoid displaying manga panels at the beginning of their videos and instead focus on engaging visuals like their face to keep the content transformative.
• 😀 Unlike smaller creators, large channels (e.g., Totally Not Mark, Anime Uproar) have special advantages like geo-blocking, which helps avoid content takedowns in specific regions like Japan.
• 😀 Mimicking the strategies of larger channels can be risky for smaller creators who do not have the same level of community support or resources to recover from strikes.
• 😀 If a creator receives a copyright strike, they have two options: contact the content owner to request a takedown retraction or submit a counter-notification with the risk of legal action.
• 😀 In case of a rejected counter-notification, creators can contact YouTube support to investigate the claim further, but they should proceed cautiously by submitting appeals in batches to avoid issues with YouTube's automated system.

Q & A

Why did the creator decide to make this video a comprehensive guide?

The creator didn't anticipate needing a part three in the series but chose to make this video a comprehensive guide to cover key points on copyright strikes and how content creators can respond.

What happened to Totally Not Mark's channel in 2021?

In the winter of 2021, Totally Not Mark faced a major issue where 150 of his videos were removed due to copyright strikes from Shueisha. His channel was also blocked in Japan, though he and his team managed to recover.

Why is Shueisha targeting anime and manga content creators?

Shueisha is targeting anime and manga content creators because Japan does not have a fair use system like the United States, allowing them to enforce their intellectual property rights more easily, even globally, through platforms like YouTube.

What makes smaller content creators more vulnerable to copyright strikes?

Smaller channels, typically with fewer than 10,000 subscribers, are more vulnerable because they lack the support of a large community that can advocate for them, and Shueisha often faces little to no resistance when targeting these channels.

What is the suggested clip length for anime and manga footage to avoid copyright strikes?

For anime clips, it is recommended not to use more than 4 to 5 seconds of consecutive footage. For manga panels, the ideal duration is also around 4 to 5 seconds.

What is one technique for making manga panels more transformative and avoiding copyright issues?

One effective technique is to remove speech or dialogue bubbles from manga panels or even alter the panel's appearance with transformative effects like coloring, shadows, or other creative changes.

Why should content creators avoid showing manga panels in the first 30 to 60 seconds of their videos?

Avoiding manga panels in the early part of a video can help reduce the chance of Shueisha targeting the video for a copyright strike, as the company is less likely to scrutinize the entire video if the panels are shown later.

Why shouldn't smaller creators mimic larger channels like Anime Uproar or Totally Not Mark?

Smaller creators shouldn't mimic larger channels because these well-established creators may have had past experiences where their communities helped them recover from strikes, and they have protections like geo-blocking, which smaller channels don't typically have access to.

What is the difference between geo-blocking for larger channels and the smaller ones?

Larger channels like Anime Uproar and Totally Not Mark can use geo-blocking to restrict their content in specific regions, such as Japan, preventing it from being accessible there. This tool is not typically available for smaller creators.

What are the two options a content creator has if they receive a copyright strike?

The two options are: 1) Contacting the party who issued the strike to request a takedown retraction, or 2) Submitting a counter-notification, which can lead to a legal battle but may result in the removal of the strike if successful.