Japan to clarify copyright rules to prevent "cosplay" violations

The Japanese government is planning to review copyright rules to prevent possible legal violations by costume role players, as the number of people dressing up as animation and game characters continues to grow.While wearing a character costume does not infringe copyright, a violation could occur if an individual is paid to do so, such as to make an appearance at an event.Shinji Inoue, minister in charge of the "Cool Japan" strategy for the promotion of Japanese pop culture overseas, said Friday the government plans to review commercial copyright rules regarding fair use by the end of the f…READ FULL ARTICLE