History of the copyright in Japan
Power was put in, in order that Yukichi Fukuzawa might translate into "hanken"
"copy right" of language which came from the foreign country
and might spread the view.
The word "copyright" was used by the government at the public
place in 1886, and also the old Copyright Act was defined in 1899. (The
old Copyright Act will be full-fledged revision in 1970) After the old
Copyright Act is defined, there is history of the copyright in Japan about
in 140.
Affiliation of Berne Convention of Japan
Japan has joined in Berne Convention in 1899. Since Japan wanted to equal strong earliest possible European and American power, it wanted to realize treaty revision of an unequal treaty (negotiation until Japan comes to revise the unequal treaty contracted with Western countries) in exchange for the affiliation to Berne Convention. The Copyright Act defined at this time is the old Copyright Act, and the present Copyright Act is another.
The problem in Japan
For Japan which takes in Western culture, protection of a foreign work was difficult, after that, Europeans asserted music copyright, the Plage sensation (incident which Germans asked for the big-ticket royalty to a Japanese broadcasting station and player) happened, and confusion took place in Japan whose copyright consciousness was thin. Therefore, the Japanese government defined the broking business method (give a third party use permission and get a work usage fee) in 1939. Permission of the broking business method was given to corporation great Japanese Society of Rights of Authors and Composers (the present JSRAC), and broking business became impossible to other persons. Then, JASRAC took over Japan's music copyright management. these days, the "member mark" which shows the intention of seeing and stopping member activity of fan art was determined. With a member mark, when a copyright holder permits the fan art (make the novel and comics of an original tale using the character etc. which appear in an original) of his own works (a novel, comics, etc.), the side which performs fan art by attaching this mark can sell a work in comfort.