The Prosecutor and Investigation Bureau Seized a Huge Quantity of Pirated Well-Known Japanese Comic Books. The Accused Agent Alleged License Dispute, Poised to Countercharge for Civil Violation.

Two well-known Japanese comic book publishers, Shueisha Inc. and Shogakukan Inc., entrusted Taiwan International Patent & Law Office to accuse their common Taiwan agent on their behalf of illegally reprinting and selling pirated comic books, the prosecutor and investigation bureau initiated an massive raid action and seized all kinds of comic books in the quantity of more than 70,000 books on April 29. Da Ran Development Culture Enterprise Co., Ltd. (大然開發文化事業公司) and Da Han Culture & Art Co., (大菡文化藝術公司), which were charged with infringement, have counterclaimed that this dispute over copyright agency resulted from both parties’ discordant realization of the content and term of license.

The responsible person of Da Ren Development Culture Enterprise Co., Ltd. not only raised a countercharge against the prosecutor and the investigation bureau’s “illegal seizure” of more than 70,000 comic books legally held by distributors, but also decided to file a complaint against Japan-based Shueisha Inc. and Shogakukan Inc.’s infringement by sublicensing to other publishers in the same trade the right to publish the comic books that are translated and named by Da Ran Development Culture Enterprise Co., Ltd. (2003.05)

CYJ/CCS