Danica Davidson
February 5, 2024 
Yesterday two men in Japan were arrested because police believe they committed copyright infringement by stealing pages from Weekly Shonen Jump and posting them online before the chapters were scheduled to come out.
The men, whose names were not listed in the report, are not Japanese but are currently both living in Japan. They are listed as being 34 and 36-years-old. The 36-year-old owns a company of some sort, and that company is likewise being referred to prosecution for copyright infringement.
Authorities alleged that the men used a smartphone on January 31 to get photos of an upcoming chapter in Weekly Shonen Jump, and that they published yet-to-be-released chapters in mid-March last year.
The men have confessed to the January 31 allegation of taking photos. However, they say they’re innocent of posting chapters online in March 2023.
Someone has been publishing yet-to-be-released chapters of One Piece and Jutjutsu Kaisen online, and police think these two may be behind it.
VIZ Media releases One Piece and gave this description for its first volume:
As a child, Monkey D. Luffy was inspired to become a pirate by listening to the tales of the buccaneer “Red-Haired” Shanks. But his life changed when Luffy accidentally ate the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit and gained the power to stretch like rubber…at the cost of never being able to swim again! Years later, still vowing to become the king of the pirates, Luffy sets out on his adventure…one guy alone in a rowboat, in search of the legendary “One Piece,” said to be the greatest treasure in the world…
VIZ Media publishes Jujutsu Kaisen and gave this description for its first volume:
Although Yuji Itadori looks like your average teenager, his immense physical strength is something to behold! Every sports club wants him to join, but Itadori would rather hang out with the school outcasts in the Occult Research Club. One day, the club manages to get their hands on a sealed cursed object. Little do they know the terror they’ll unleash when they break the seal…
Source: The Asahi Shimbun
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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