A 39-year-old woman faces prosecution by Japanese authorities after allegedly selling fake goods with motifs from the popular Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba franchise. As reported by the Mainichi Shimbun, the woman has admitted to violating Japanese copyright law.
The unnamed woman, who resides in the city of Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, had allegedly sold a smartphone case featuring the anime’s characters for ¥1,430 (around US$11). She was also in possession of around 64 similar Demon Slayer fake goods on December 22, 2021, with the intention to sell them.
According to the Kanagawa Prefectural Police’s Zushi Police, the woman reportedly purchased fake goods from a Chinese website and sold them on a flea market app. She supposedly earned around ¥10,000,000 (~US$77,000) between January 2020 and December 2021.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a manga written and illustrated by Koyoharu Gotouge. It was serialized in the Weekly Shonen Jump from February 2016 to May 2020. A twenty-six-episode anime series was animated by Ufotable and aired from April to September 2019. An anime film, titled Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train was released in October 2020 and became the highest-grossing film ever in Japan, beating Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away.
A second season aired from October 2021 to February 2022. The first half was a TV version of the Mugen Train and it was followed by the Entertainment District arc. A third season has been announced with a trailer in April of this year and it will focus on the Swordsmith Village arc.
Source: Mainichi Shimbun
©Koyoharu Gotouge / Shueisha, Aniplex, ufotable
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