Men in Japan Charged with Selling AI-Generated Obscene Anime Posters

Two men in Japan have been charged with violating the country’s Copyright Act by creating and illegally selling AI-generated “obscene” posters of popular female characters from anime like Evangelion and Yu-Gi-Oh! (as reported by NTV).

Men in Japan Charged with Selling AI-Generated Obscene Anime Posters

The offenders followed the same method: using AI prompts to generate explicit images of well-known anime characters and selling the resulting posters on online auction platforms.

It is estimated that one man from Yokohama earned approximately 10 million yen between May 2023 and March 2024, while the other, from Shiga, made around 5.7 million yen between July 2023 and April 2024.

Both individuals admitted to the charges, stating that they committed the crimes to cover their living expenses.

The sale of illegal merchandise is a growing issue for anime companies. Just last month, Studio Ghibli announced stricter measures to crack down on unauthorized products that violate their copyrights.

Source: NTV News via Você Sabia Anime