Toei Company, the main shareholder of Toei Animation studio and the distributor of now showing Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie, revealed on July 4 that they are taking legal action to combat the pirated releases of the movie that have been shared online. These uploads, known as CAMs, often feature recordings made in theatres with phones or handheld cameras. The movie premiered on June 11 in Japan.
The company stated that thanks to commercials like No More Movie Thieves (Japanese anti-piracy series), it has been widely recognized that video recordings of movies at theaters breach laws that are in place to stop the illegal recording of movies and uploading the videos on social media services such as YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook violates the copyright.
“Situations occurred that we have found seemingly video recordings of currently screening ‘Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero that has been uploaded on the Internet.” the press release revealed.
Bengo4 reached out to Toei and reported that they “have confirmed some 3000 illegal uploads [of the film] have been found in 10 days since the film premiered,” and compared to 2018’s Dragon Ball Super: Broly, the damages are “about 10 times higher.”
Toei warns in the press release that you may receive a criminal conviction, facing a maximum 10-year prison term and/or ¥10 million fine (≒＄73,000 USD), for violations of the Act on Prevention of Unauthorized Recording of Films and Japanese Copyright Law.
The company has “already consulted with our lawyer’s office, and been working with the investigative authorities with consideration to take both criminal and civil legal actions,” and also revealed that they “constantly take actions such as monitoring theaters and submitting takedown requests for unauthorizedly uploaded videos, and will seek to raise further alertness.“
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Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie is the second movie adaptation of the TV anime Dragon Ball Super, which began in 2015. The film hit theaters in Japan on June 11, 2022, and topped the box office on the opening two-day weekend with 498k tickets sold and 670 million Japanese Yen earnings (≒4.93 million United States Dollars), according to Kogyo Tsushinsha. The movie reportedly marked the fourth week with 190 million ticket sales and 1.9 billion Japanese Yen earnings (≒14 million United States Dollars).
Crunchyroll describes the story as:
The Red Ribbon Army was once destroyed by Son Goku. Individuals, who carry on its spirit, have created the ultimate Androids, Gamma 1 and Gamma 2. These two Androids call themselves “Super Heroes”. They start attacking Piccolo and Gohan… What is the New Red Ribbon Army’s objective? In the face of approaching danger, it is time to awaken, Super Hero!
Source: Official Website, Official YouTube, Official Website
© Bird Studio / Shueisha © “2022 Dragon Ball Super” Production Committee
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