copyright

The Tale of Genji and copyright

  • 2024年03月27日

#copyright

　This year’s 2024 Japanese historical drama ‘Dear Radiance, Hikaru Kimi e’ features Murasaki Shikibu, known for her Tale of Genji and other works. Murasaki Shikibu was a poet and writer from the mid-Heian period, whose actual name and exact date of birth and death are not known. However, the term of copyright protection is 70 years after her death, so enough time has passed since the Heian period, and literary works from the Heian period, such as The Tale of Genji, are not copyrighted and are in the public domain. Therefore, they can be adapted into manga form, such as ‘Dreams at Dawn, Asakiyumemishi’ by Waki Yamato. Of course, even though the copyright on The Tale of Genji has expired, the copyright on ‘Asakiyumemishi’ exists.

The Tale of Genji Asakiyumemishi

　The Tale of Genji has also been translated into many modern Japanese versions. Recently, it has been probably best known for its translations by Jakucho Setouchi and Mitsuyo Kakuta. The translator holds the copyright to the modern translations. On the other hand, the translations of The Tale of Genji by Yosano Akiko and Tanizaki Junichiro, both of whom died over 70 years ago, are in the public domain and can be read at the Aozora Bunko. The Tanizaki Junichiro translation is listed as a ‘work in progress’ and could not yet be read.
　I think it would be interesting to take this opportunity to read and compare various modern Japanese translations of The Tale of Genji, but I would like to start by trying again to read ‘Asakayumemishi’, which I failed to finish when I was a student. (Marron)

Copyright

  • 2024年02月14日

#copyright #trademark

　The Examination of Copyright Proficiency for Practical Business, which started in 2004, is a test on copyright and is organized by the Certify Copyright Examination Committee. Last year, I passed the Examination of Copyright Proficiency for Practical Business Advanced Level.

Examination of Copyright Proficiency for Practical Business

　The above logo mark indicating the Examination of Copyright Proficiency for Practical Business is a registered trademark (registration date: November 5, 2004, Japanese trademark registration number: No. 4815092) whose trademark owner is Wenet Inc.

　We offer a wide range of support services in addition to consultation regarding copyrights. Please refer to the following list for examples of our copyright support services.

<Copyright consultation>
If you think you may be infringing on copyrights, we can provide you with appropriate advice on copyrights.

<Management of Copyrighted Works>
If you are working in the field of design, we will advise you on how to manage your copyrighted works by yourself or by outsourcing them to a management company.

<Use of orphanworks (works whose copyright holders are unknown) >
For those who wish to use orphanworks, we provide advice on how to find the copyright holder for the adjudication system and other methods to realize the use of copyrighted works.

<Design of products and advertisements>
When creating a product or creating an advertisement, you may be wondering whether the use of an illustration or a phrase does not infringe on your copyright. We can provide advice on copyright infringement, as well as trademark and design rights.

<Copyright registration with the Agency for Cultural Affairs>
We register the transfer of copyrights, the actual name of the author, the date of creation, etc., the establishment of publishing rights, and the transfer of publishing rights. We offer domestic copyright registration, foreign copyright registration, and the drafting of various domestic and foreign contracts.

　Our firm has Patent and Trademark Attorneys and persons who have passed the Examination of Copyright Proficiency for Practical Business Advanced Level. Please feel free to contact us here for consultation or request for copyrights. (Raspberry)

PDF document on copyright: pamphlet-chosakuken202102.pdf (jpaa.or.jp)
Examination of Copyright Proficiency for Practical Business: https://www.sikaku.gr.jp/bc/introduction/

Space Education Recommendations

  • 2024年01月31日

#copyright #intellectual property

The Small Lunar Module (SLIM) launched by JAXA became the fifth country in the world to successfully land on the Moon. Unfortunately, the planned lunar exploration seems to be difficult due to a problem with the landing attitude, but we will keep our eyes on the future of this project.
By the way, JAXA provides a variety of educational materials for free on its website. Please read the terms and conditions of copyright and intellectual property rights carefully before using these materials, and try them at home.
https://edu.jaxa.jp/materialDB/

The image is a picture of the moon I took with my smartphone a few years ago. You can see something in the reflection.
(Swimmer)

moon

Copyright of Mickey Mouse

  • 2024年01月09日

#copyright

　The copyright of the popular character, the first Mickey Mouse, expired on January 1, 2024, and became public domain in the United States. This makes it possible to create derivative works of the original Mickey. The one that will be in the public domain is the one from the 1928 short film “Steamboat Willie,” which differs from the modern version in the way the eyes are drawn and, in the gloves, and shoes. In addition, the Mickey Mouse trademark is owned by Disney, even though it is now in the public domain.

　In 2023, the release of “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey” a horror film based on “Winnie the Pooh,” whose copyright expired a year earlier, also attracted attention. We may see more films based on Mickey Mouse, who is now in the public domain, in the future. (Marron)

Reference URL:
An early version of Mickey Mouse is now in the public domain (CNN)
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/01/business/mickey-mouse-early-version-copyright-expired/index.html

Altitude Films – Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
https://www.altitude.film/winnie-the-pooh-blood-and-honey

“Tokkyo Tawan Ningen Hoshiki” -Unno Juza

  • 2023年09月13日

#copyright #patent #patent attorney

　I would like to introduce a novel in which a patent attorney is the main character. The title is “Tokkyo Tawan Ningen Hoshiki (Patent Multi-Armed Human Method)” and it is a novel written by “Unno Juza” (海野十三), a writer in the early Showa period.

　Unno Juza (real name: Sano Shoichi) published many mystery and science fiction novels and is called the “father of Japanese science fiction novels”. After his debut as a writer, in 1936, at the age of 39, Mr. Unno qualified as a patent attorney, and two years later, he opened “Sano Electric Patent Office.

　The “Tokkyo Tawan Ningen Hoshiki” was published in 1941, when Mr. Unno was 44 years old. The story begins when an inventor visits a patent attorney who runs a patent office and requests a patent application for a “third arm”. A humorous and surreal scene appears in which the patent attorney writes the specification for the application while interacting (playing two roles) with the 100-yen bill (a large sum of money in those days) received from the inventor as the application fee and the application stamp fee. There is also a scene in which the patent attorney shows off his skills as a patent attorney by using the expression “at least” in the description of the claims, claiming that he has expanded the scope of the patent (scope of rights), and another scene in which he receives a notice of reasons for refusal after filing an application, meets with the examiner, and struggles to resolve the reasons for refusal. I feel that this is a story that is also relevant to the current practice of patent attorneys.

Tokkyo Tawan Ningen Hoshiki (Patent Multi-Armed Human Method)

　There is a lot of humor scattered throughout, and the punchline is quite good. Because it is a short novel, I finished reading it in no time.
　Since more than 50 years have passed since Mr. Unno’s death and the copyright protection period has expired, this work can be freely read at Aozora Bunko and other libraries (Hiro).

Tokkyo Tawan Ningen Hoshiki (Aozora Bunko) (only available in Japanese)

The Age of AI Painting?

  • 2022年09月14日

#copyright #design

This is Swimmer.
These days, the social networking sites are talking about an app that lets AI learn and draw pictures.

AI

To make it learn, you have to change the approach many times and make adjustments, and you need to have a good artistic sense to make a proper work. It seems to be very easy to complete a picture if you are not concerned about the final result. It is very interesting.
If the original material to be studied is something to which you own the rights, there is no problem. However, if you use someone else’s work, what happens to the design rights and copyrights of the material? What are the terms and conditions of the app?

We will continue to keep a close eye on the evolution of AI, which has both pros and cons, including the rights to the resulting pictures.

Hamanako Garden Park

  • 2022年08月24日

#copyright #trademark

I visited Hamanako Garden Park. There were six characters in the Garden Park: “Notane,” “Papa Hula,” “Mama Hula,” “Kyutan,” “Joron,” and “Hatchie,” which were created during the Hamanako Flower Expo and were based on lyricist Yasushi Akimoto’s works.

Hamanako Garden Park

As I walked around the park, I noticed that only “Notane” had a copyright mark.

Notane

I wondered why, and when I looked at the official website, it seemed that all six characters were copyrighted as part of the “NOTANE” series. I wondered about the trademark, and found that only “Notane” was registered here as well (the right holder is Shizuoka Prefecture).

The days are still hot, but I want to visit again to see different flowers when the weather gets a little better.

Hamanako Garden Park “Notane” Website(Japanese)
https://www.hamanako-gardenpark.jp/notane/

Importance of checking properly

  • 2021年10月13日

#copyright #intellectual property

I saw illustrations in which the interesting image processing application was used, were shared on SNS that I use personally. The app is free to use and looks very fun so I wanted to try and use it. However, when I looked at the privacy section of the application store and the reputation on the internet, the terms said that the copyright, intellectual property rights, other rights of the pictures and images you drew are given to the sales company and the affiliated companies of the app so I decided not to download it.

This kind of wording can be seen in other apps, and it may be an unnecessary worry, but I think it’s best to be careful because the data you created may be used by third parties. (Swimmer)