In response to the revelation that the director Kunihiko Ikuhara had been accused by an anonymous woman of having plagiarized an idea for an anime, the popular author Reki Kawahara He also revealed his own story, where he said that a person accused him of having stolen the idea of ​​publishing the franchise of Sword Art Online.
The author shared the details through his official Twitter account, where he wrote:
- A while ago, I was contacted by someone who claimed to be the original author of Sword Art Online, and that person wasn’t upset, but rather was wondering why his work had been published without his permission. I felt confused as hell and didn’t know what to answer.
- At that time I thought that it was not easy to prove that one is the author/copyright holder of a work through objective facts. The Cultural Affairs Agency has a copyright registration system, but this also does not support the fact that I am the copyright holder.
- If someone sued me saying that Sword Art Online is plagiarism, It would be easy to prove that I published it on my personal site since 2002, but it would take a lot of material and effort to prove that the work itself is original..
- If there was a certificate like a patent… but if such a system was established, it would likely be misused. However, these problems are likely to increase rather than decrease in the future, so I would like to see steps taken to reduce the danger to creators, even if just a little.
It is alarming when an author in Japan or anywhere in the world is accused of plagiarism. Plagiarism is a serious accusation that can damage an author’s reputation and career, as well as have legal implications. The 2019 Kyoto Animation studios arson attack case, allegedly linked to plagiarism accusations, is a tragedy that highlights the extremely serious consequences that can arise from such accusations.
Plagiarism not only affects the accused author, but also the industry as a whole, undermining integrity and trust in the creativity and originality of works. It is important to address allegations of plagiarism fairly and appropriately, investigating claims impartially and taking appropriate action if evidence of plagiarism is found.
The creative industry, including the anime and literature industries in Japan, should strive to promote originality and protect copyright, while providing support and resources for education on ethics in content creation. Preventing plagiarism and properly handling plagiarism allegations are essential to maintaining the integrity and health of the creative industry in Japan and around the world.
Fountain: Otakomu
