An arrest was made on a man illegally distributing footage of the game Steins;Gate: My Darling's Embrace and profiting off ad revenue. Further investigation reveals that Steins;Gate wasn't his only source of income.
Police Arrest YouTuber For Distributing Scenes From Games and Anime
Admits Guilty to Charges of Copyright Law Violation
On May 17, 2023, an arrest was made on a self-proclaimed YouTuber named Shinobu Yoshida, 52, for distributing footage of the game Steins;Gate: My Darling's Embrace. The game has very specific guidelines regarding specific content from being posted or streamed. But in 2022, he uploaded an hour-long video of the game, which included prohibited content and the endings.
Upon investigation, it was found that he also distributes footage from other games and anime, such as the anime adaptation of SPY×FAMILY and Steins;Gate. He has been editing and uploading the videos since 2019 on his YouTube account, where he earns ad revenue.
This incident was discovered by the cyber patrol of Minamisanriku Police Station who, in cooperation with the Miyagi Prefecture Police Headquarters, subsequently made the arrest. The Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA) announced the arrest publicly. KADOKAWA, who holds the rights over the Steins;Gate anime, has made a statement regarding the issue and is working closely with CODA to take decisive action against copyright infringement. Additionally, CODA has remarked that the incident is believed to be the nation's first arrest regarding the distribution of video game footage.
According to Miyagi Television Broadcasting's report, Shinobu Yoshida has since admitted to the charges against him, noting that he did it despite knowing it was illegal.
