Officer runs afoul of Copyright Law

03/25/2008
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

FUKUOKA--Prefectural police here Monday referred to prosecutors the case of an officer suspected of infringing on a map publisher's copyright through his use of Winny file-sharing software.

Police said the officer, who is 31 and from Hyogo Prefecture, made it possible for other Winny users to download map data created by the publisher.

Earlier this month, police seized the officer's personal computer.

A check showed that he had downloaded numerous maps created by Kita-Kyushu-based Zenrin Co.

The officer admitted during police questioning to downloading maps using Winny, saying he planned to use them for work. He also said he was aware that his actions were illegal, according to sources.

Because Winny allows direct receiving and sending of coded data, rather than going through a server, it is usually difficult to pinpoint illegal users.

But the prefectural police used their own system to identify the officer in question.

In March 2006, the National Police Agency instructed police departments around the country to make sure that staff were aware of a new ban on using Winny software, which automatically makes data available to other Winny users after a person has repeatedly downloaded particular data.

Downloading data, music for instance, for personal use is not prohibited.

The officer's personal computer also stored other data that he likely obtained via Winny, the sources said.

The first arrest concerning possible Copyright Law violations over the Winny program occurred in November 2003 when the Kyoto prefectural police arrested two men for allegedly making movie images and video game software available.

In May 2004, the Kyoto prefectural police arrested the creator of Winny for helping others to violate the law.

The former teaching assistant at the University of Tokyo was found guilty by the Kyoto District Court in December 2006.

He is currently appealing the decision at the Osaka High Court.(IHT/Asahi: March 25,2008)