Answerman

Why Do Some Anime Releases Have a "Content Japan" Logo On Them?

Taylor asked:

I keep seeing that Content Japan logo for a variety of releases outside Japan, no matter who the licensor or licensee is. From my current collection, I see it on Blue Exorcist, Clannad, Eureka Seven (Essentials release), IGPX, My Hero Academia (on some occasions), Promare, Spirited Away, and that's just some.

What is Content Japan anyway, and why do they have a presence on home video releases outside Japan? They shouldn't be a licensor. Do they get involved with the licensor and licensee for plans for out-of-Japan distribution?

The Content Japan logo is one of the Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA)'s countermeasures against piracy. It is used to indicate that the content is from Japan and to speed up the detection of piracy by registering the mark itself as a trademark in various countries. Because copyright owners have to individually take action against suspected bootlegs, which can drain resources, using the Content Japan logo allows the rights owners to let CODA deal with the process.

This tactic has worked in the past; for example, in 2008, CODA caught a Hong Kong-based company copying the seal. The trademark was registered in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the United States, European Union, South Korea, and mainland China in 2005-2006, so it's been used worldwide for almost two decades. Although it's not mandatory for any product manufacturer to use the logo, it's very much encouraged.

This is what the logo looks like (from a public Cabinet Public Affairs Office document):

As CODA's website outlines, you can tell if the logo has been used legally if it is on the packaging and layered as part of the image instead of directly copied.

CODA is an anti-piracy organization that includes 32 Japanese companies, such as Kodansha, Shueisha, Shogakukan, Aniplex, Kadokawa, Sunrise, Studio Ghibli, Bandai Namco Arts, Pony Canyon, Toei Animation, and more. The group is scaling up its efforts by forming a coalition with international organizations as of April 2022, so it is very much still a relevant industry force today.

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