Matt Schley
December 10, 2024 
Folks making money off Studio Ghibli art without permission better watch their backs. The studio behind films like Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and The Boy and the Heron has released an official statement against “unauthorized reproductions that infringe on Studio Ghibli’s copyrights.”
Here’s the full statement, which was released on the studio’s site yesterday:
We have confirmed that there are several stores and online shops that sell framed images and paintings taken from our films, books and other publications at extremely high prices. These products are unauthorized reproductions that infringe on Studio Ghibli’s copyrights and other intellectual property rights. Please be advised that Studio Ghibli has not authorized these activities and intends to take strict action, both civil and criminal, as applicable.
All of Studio Ghibli’s works were created and produced by many people involving years of hard work. We release our films globally and the films and their characters are beloved by people around the world. We strive to continue to make our films, both past and future, and officially licensed products to our fans around the world for many more years. However, the sales of unauthorized copyright infringement products devalue our global image and are nothing more than unlawful sales that cannot be overlooked.
As we continue to strengthen protections of our intellectual property rights from our films and strive to ensure that our fans can enjoy them, we would like to thank you for your continued patronage of officially licensed and authorized businesses.
It’s not clear if there was a specific incident that incited this warning, but we imagine that since Ghibli was acquired by Nippon TV last year, it now has more Lawyer Power at its disposal.
Anyway, there’s plenty of legit Ghibli merch out there, so don’t buy or sell the fake stuff, huh?
Source: Otakomu
