Hi Vingle Anime Family!
It's almost time for Halloween and I'm sure many of you have started planning your awesome cosplays! But what's this fuss about cosplay creations and copyright?
Here's the breakdown:
Cosplaying "could" be against the Japanese law. According to a web Q&A on Oshiete! Goo, with Yūji Ōkuma, a lawyer at the Toranomon Law and Patent Office, dressing up in anime character costumes violates copyright protection.
But wait! There's a caveat!
While it's considered a violation of copyrights as per Japan's copyright law, it's perfectly acceptable to create costumes for one's own personal and private use.
The lawyer did go on and state that making costumes for others or ordering one from a business might not quality as personal and private use. He advised cosplayers to research the character copyrights before creating cosplay costumes.
I, for one, think that the line between violating copyright and not is quite blurry and imagine that it would be hard for the anime companies to go after each and every cosplayer.