翻訳コラム

アンパンマンの人形焼を販売した疑いで、露天商の男性ら4人が著作権法違反として書類送検されました。

実際の人形焼の写真は、以下のニュースをご覧下さい。

アンパンマン人形焼、無許可販売の疑い　「父から金型」 (朝日新聞)
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASNBJ66B6NBJOHGB01F.html

「アンパンマンの人形焼を販売しただけで著作権法違反?」と疑問に思う人もいるでしょう。しかしこれは、複製権または翻案権の侵害です。

「およげ ! たいやきくん」の縫いぐるみを製造販売した被告が著作権法違反とされた事件もありました。「原作の漫画に依拠して変形されて製造された」と判断されたからです。

人形焼きも縫いぐるみと同じように「原画に依拠」しています。

では母親が子どものためにつくる「キャラクター弁当も著作権侵害?」と恐れる人もいるでしょうが、これは私的使用なので大丈夫です。しかしキャラ弁をつくって販売したら著作権侵害です!

Four men, including one street vendor, have been reported to prosecutors for violating Copyright Law for allegedly selling pancakes in the shape of Anpanman figures. Anpanman is a popular cartoon character in Japan.

Please see the following news article for a photo of the actual pancakes.

“Allegedly selling Anpanman pancakes without permission, ‘Mold given by father’” (The Asahi Shimbun)
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASNBJ66B6NBJOHGB01F.html

Some people may be wondering whether selling Anpanman pancakes really infringes copyright. However, this is absolutely a violation of reproduction or adaptation rights.

There was a case in which a defendant who manufactured and sold stuffed toys of the fish character from the song “Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun” was determined to have infringed copyright, as it was judged that the stuffed toys were “manufactured by being transformed based on the original cartoon.”

Like the stuffed toys, the pancakes were “based on the original cartoon.”
Some mothers may be afraid that making “character bento (packed lunch with rice)” for their children may infringe copyright, however this would not infringe copyright because the lunches are for private use. However, selling character would be copyright infringement.