Japanese Creators Face Copyright Dilemma on X: The JASRAC Licensing Debate Heats Up
A lively discussion is underway on the SNS platform X (formerly Twitter) regarding the posting of 'Utattemita' (I tried singing) and 'Hiitemita' (I tried playing an instrument) videos that use music managed by JASRAC (Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers). The debate was triggered by a renewed announcement from the official JASRAC account, stating that since it has comprehensive licensing agreements with certain UGC (User Generated Content) services and SNS platforms (such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok), creators can publish videos on these platforms without individually obtaining permission. In response to this official announcement, many users were reminded that X is not covered by such a comprehensive agreement, leading to widespread unease. Indeed, multiple posts shared the understanding that 'X does not have a comprehensive agreement with JASRAC,' and warnings were issued that 'uploading videos directly to X carries a ris...