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News ALT Arrested for Being Ignorant

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう
15 Mar 2002
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東京五輪招致ロゴを無断使用した疑い 米国籍の男を逮捕:朝日新聞デジタル

A 53 year old American ALT working in Kumamoto has been arrested for selling items containing trademarked Olympic/Parlympic logos via his online shop. He actually only sold a grand total of FIVE items but it was enough to get him arrested. (I just watched his "perp walk" footage on the noon news). He grabbed the logos from the internet and is claiming he didn't know he needed permission to use them. Apparently he didn't realize the Olympics are nothing but an elaborate scheme for making money through licensing, construction contracts, bribes, and kickbacks. Trying to sneak a suck on the teats of that cash-cow will get you a kick in the teeth.

Of course, it is very obvious that his arrest and upcoming prosecution are nothing more than an exercise in "let's make an example out of someone".

What's really sad is that if you're 53 and an ALT, you've probably been here a while and figured on staying a good while longer...and even if he gets a completely suspended sentence he is almost certainly looking at being deported.

EDIT

Apparently this is the site: Mug Mori-マグ森

You have to wonder why his wife/daughter/whatever Manami who is listed as running the site didn't get arrested in addition to or instead of him. You also have to wonder how much of the artwork on their other products are copyrighted and being used without permission.

I could maybe understand it if one guy were selling a few items on his Yahoo Auctions account or something and claimed to be ignorant of the need to get permission, but running an operation like that site? No, the claims of ignorance won't work.
 
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Arrested on suspicion of trademark violation? Or was he just brought in for questioning? Anyhow, sounds a bit harsh for selling five mugs. Law enforcement seems a bit arbitrary; where's that zeal when it comes to all those shops on アメヤ横丁 selling fake brand goods?
 
Arrested.

I think they're just building their case around five separate sales; it seems he has sold a couple hundred items with the pilfered logo.

I think a simple cease-and-desist letter probably would have been sufficient. It is certainly going to end up being a case of the punishment not fitting rhe crime if it results in his deportation.
 
I wish they would make the Tokyo Olympics like Tokyo Disneyland and do have it be in Chiba.
 
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