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Music fans found guilty of illegally downloading in Japan can now face up to two years in prison or a hefty fine of £15,900 after a change in the law.
The download of copyright-infringing files has been illegal in Japan since 2010, but these new tougher penalties come amid a successfull lobbying campaign by the Japanese music industry, reports the BBC.
After the US the Japanese music market is the second largest in the world and music industry body The Recording Industry Associaion say legal downloads are outnumbered 10 to 1 by illegal counterparts.
So, in theory for the fans this means that the new laws could be enforced after one single illegal downloaded file. The "hacktivist" collective known as Anonymous staged a protest in Tokyo last year and have been campaigning against the move since. Others though say that the focus should be on stopping the availability of illegal material rather than imposing harsh sentences on those who download.
This isn't just a problem affecting Japan though, this move comes as part of a global crackdown on illegal downloading with several countries taking action against torrent service, The Pirate Bay, whose founder has recently been deported to Sweden to face tax charges.
High profile sites such as Megaupload and Demonoid have been taken offline and the UK recently jailed the owner of the Surfthechannel video site as well as France issuing its first fine earlier this year under its "three strikes" rule against piracy.
What do you think should piracy be heavily penalised or should it be stopped at the source?
The download of copyright-infringing files has been illegal in Japan since 2010, but these new tougher penalties come amid a successfull lobbying campaign by the Japanese music industry, reports the BBC.
After the US the Japanese music market is the second largest in the world and music industry body The Recording Industry Associaion say legal downloads are outnumbered 10 to 1 by illegal counterparts.
So, in theory for the fans this means that the new laws could be enforced after one single illegal downloaded file. The "hacktivist" collective known as Anonymous staged a protest in Tokyo last year and have been campaigning against the move since. Others though say that the focus should be on stopping the availability of illegal material rather than imposing harsh sentences on those who download.
This isn't just a problem affecting Japan though, this move comes as part of a global crackdown on illegal downloading with several countries taking action against torrent service, The Pirate Bay, whose founder has recently been deported to Sweden to face tax charges.
High profile sites such as Megaupload and Demonoid have been taken offline and the UK recently jailed the owner of the Surfthechannel video site as well as France issuing its first fine earlier this year under its "three strikes" rule against piracy.
What do you think should piracy be heavily penalised or should it be stopped at the source?
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