Following the Kanuma City mayoral election held on June 9, 2024, a campaign flyer distributed by the losing candidate's team came under scrutiny for potentially violating copyright laws .
The promotional flyer has illustrations that resemble the latest cartoon posters Slam Dunk. According to legal experts, this similarity raises potential copyright infringement issues.
It included key political figures wearing basketball uniforms, including Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi and Tochigi Governor Tomikazu Fukuda. At the center of the illustration is mayoral candidate Mikio Kobayashi.
Under the heading Total Effort, the leaflet also carried the message “If we give up, Kanuma will end here.”
Must-Campaign Flyer; Left-Slam Dunk movie poster
Hiroyuki Nakajima, a lawyer specializing in copyright law, highlighted the similarities between flyers and movie posters.
“The number of people, poses, clothing, overalls and overall composition strongly evoke the basic characteristics of the poster 'THE FIRST SLAM DUNK'. There is a risk of violating adaptation rights under copyright law,” Nakajima stated.
In response to this, a senior official in Kobayashi's campaign explained in an interview that the flyer was created by young staffers who drew inspiration from similar posters used by shopping malls in other provinces.
The official admitted that leaflets distributed in newspapers before the official campaign period were not thoroughly vetted for potential copyright issues.
Despite creative campaign efforts, Mikio Kobayashi, 70, who was endorsed by both the LDP and Komeito, was defeated in the mayoral race by Shoichi Matsui, 58.
Source: Livedoor News