AI art scandal – two men charged for creating illegal Evangelion/Yu-Gi-Oh posters
Two men have been referred to Japanese prosecutors on charges of copyright infringement, accused of using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate illegal, and obscene, images of popular anime characters and subsequently selling these unauthorized images as posters.
Characters from fan favorites “Evangelion” and “Yu-Gi-Oh!” appear to have been the main ones targeted, but images of characters from more old-school anime such as Dirty Pair and Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water also appeared on some of the posters seized.
The suspects are a 36-year-old company employee residing in Asahi Ward, Yokohama, and a 40-year-old self-employed man from Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture.
The men allegedly fed the AI with images of female characters from renowned anime series, instructing the AI to create obscene depictions. These illicitly generated images were then sold on online auction platforms.
Authorities discovered these illegal posters while conducting routine cyber patrols on online marketplaces. Through their investigations, they were able to trace the origins of the images back to the two suspects.
The Yokohama resident is believed to have amassed approximately 10 million yen from May 2023 to March 2024 through the sale of these AI-generated images. Similarly, the Shiga Prefecture resident is suspected of earning approximately 5.7 million yen between July 2023 and April 2024.
During police questioning, both men confessed to the allegations. They reportedly stated that they engaged in this illegal activity to cover their living expenses.
Japanese companies are known for taking a no-nonsense approach to those who seek to infringe on copyright/intellectual property and anyone based in Japan will likely end up on the wrong side of the law if caught.
Popular anime series are particularly attractive to those performing such activities due to their established fan bases.
It’s almost certain that the charges brought against these two individuals will not be the last we hear of AI produced anime artwork being used for nefarious purposes.