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August 13

Restriction on recording devices in Japanese stage events and concerts

I went to a concert in Manila by a Japanese musician two months ago. One notable thing about the event is that, except for authorized media partners, there was a restriction on the use of recording devices. In the Philippines, where the concert was held, as far as I know, restricting recording devices in stage events is fairly rare and usually only occurs in the case of theater productions (which I presume is more for safety reasons than economic or copyright reasons), and not usually in concerts, whether Filipino or foreign: in fact, at least with Filipino concerts, the use of recording devices, particularly cellphones, is commonplace. However, the practice seems to be the norm in Japan; in fact, while this does not necessarily pertain to stage events, based on my experiences during my trips to Japan, no photography signs appear to be a common sight in Japanese stores (whether or not they are actually enforced by stores is another matter altogether and is outside the scope of this RD question). I have been doing research on prohibitions on recording devices for a number of years now (see my earlier Reference desk questions on the topic), but a new question is bothering me: how come the Japanese appear to be strict with the use of recording devices in concerts, stage events, even meet-and-greet sessions and the like, but other countries appear to be more lenient with the use of recording devices? As far as I know, one possible reason is that many Japanese concerts are also videotaped and eventually released on BD and DVD, although this does not explain why such prohibitions exist even for events which are never filmed for BD/DVD purposes. Narutolovehinata5 ^tccsdnew 13:04, 13 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe Japan has stricter laws against copyright violations. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:40, 13 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

@Baseball Bugs: If I recall correctly, yes, enforcement of copyright in Japan is stronger than in the United States, and the exceptions to copyright are not as lenient as fair use in the U.S. or fair dealing in Commonwealth countries. Narutolovehinata5 ^tccsdnew 15:37, 13 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Is it a law, or is it a contract as part of the sale of the ticket? In the U.S., such stipulations against using recording devices during live performances are standard parts of the ticket contract: by purchasing the ticket, you agree to abide by whatever rules the venue has set up. If you don't want to agree to their rules, you're not forced to buy a ticket. Here and here are some venues that set their policy. Generally, in most civilized countries, people who own private property are allowed to tell you what you can or cannot do on their property, and if you refuse to abide by their rules, they can make you leave (or not let you in). If I invite you over my house to watch me and my wife have sex, but I tell you to not record the event, if you take out your camera against my express wishes, I can certainly ask you to leave; you've violated our agreement, and it's my house. I can take you out for any reason, or no reason at all. It would be quite unreasonable if you demanded the right to come into my house whenever you wanted, and do whatever you want while you are there, and I have no recourse to stop you. --Jayron 32 15:12, 13 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

@Jayron32: In this particular case, the rule was posted on the organizer's official website and Facebook page, and it was mentioned before and during the event. As far as I can remember, the prohibition itself was not in the ticket (as I mentioned earlier, prohibiting recording devices at concerts in the Philippines is relatively uncommon [although they are the norm at theatrical presentations], and when such prohibitions are made, in the case of concerts at least it's usually the organizer's policy rather than the venue's policy, and thus said tickets do not tend to have prohibitions written on the ticket, though they do state that buyers must follow the organizer and venue's rules). Some venues in the Philippines, such as the Mall of Asia Arena, prohibit unauthorized commercial recordings of events, though unless otherwise stated they typically allow recording for personal use. At least one sports venue, the Filoil Flying V Arena, has on paper a blanket ban on recording devices, although in practice the ban is not enforced. As for laws, there is a law regarding the regulation of recording devices (the Anti-Camcorder Act), but it only applies to movie theaters and not concert or sporting venues. Narutolovehinata5 ^tccsdnew 15:37, 13 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Regardless: It's not your property. It belongs to someone else. You have no right to do whatever you want on property someone else owns. Forget everything else. I have no right to barge into your house, and even if invited in, you can ask me to leave, for whatever reason you want, and especially if I start violating your house rules. --Jayron 32 17:49, 13 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]