Anime content is primarily owned by the studios that produce them and the majority of them are headquartered in Japan. These entities often have a different legal approach to Fair Use or Fair Dealing than Western companies, which can result in more frequent manual claims and blocks.
Differences in Copyright Exceptions
While your video may adhere to the Fair Use standards in the United States or Europe, such as for criticism or parody purposes, Japanese copyright law is traditionally more restrictive and lacks such exception.
- Studios may choose to block videos exclusively in Japan while allowing them to remain live in the rest of the world.
- Unlike Content ID used by music labels, many studios use manual reviewers to find and strike content that is not deemed transformative.
Studio Specific Trends
- Toei Animation is known for a strict policy against long-form clips. They typically require heavy editing and clear educational or critical commentary to avoid manual takedowns.
- TV Tokyo frequently uses Content ID to block or monetize full episodes or extended fight scenes.
- ShoPro (Shogakukan-Shueisha) often focuses on protecting intellectual property like Pokémon or Doraemon, often prioritizing takedowns for leaks or spoiler content.
Best Practices
To reduce the risk of copyright claims, consider these editing techniques:
- Keep individual clips under five seconds. Avoid using raw footage and always overlay your own voiceover, graphics, or split-screen layouts.
- While not a legal shield, flipping the video horizontally or using color filters can sometimes prevent immediate automated detection, though it will not stop manual reviews.
- Avoid using the original Japanese audio without your own commentary or background music. Isolated audio tracks are highly susceptible to Content ID claims.
Dealing With Claims
- Look in YouTube Studio to see if your video is blocked worldwide or just in Japan.
- Some studios now allow for revenue sharing on anime-related content if you are part of the YouTube Partner Program.
- Dispute with caution. If you file a dispute based on Fair Use, be prepared for the studio to potentially escalate to a manual takedown, as Japanese copyright law doesn’t provide an equivalent to the exception. Only dispute if you have provided significant, original commentary.
Fanart and Covers
Studios are generally more lenient toward fanart and music covers, whether instrumental or vocal, than they are towards reuploads of the footage itself. However, using the original anime opening visuals with your cover will still likely trigger a claim from the animation studio.
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