Japanese entertainment companies have long held a skeptical — if not downright hostile — view of the internet. This has led to a lot of disgruntled anime and J-pop fans, but these companies' strict approach to copyright and content blocks have rarely led to any real outrage.
However, last week Toei Animation, the company behind anime hits such as “Dragonball,” “One Piece” and “Sailor Moon,” found itself in the middle of a rather large backlash after it levied a slew of copyright claims against YouTuber Mark Fitzpatrick.
Better known as TotallyNotMark, Fitzpatrick uploads a wide variety of content related to Japanese animation, most notably in-depth reviews of series such as “Dragonball Z.” Backed by a team helping create these videos, Fitzpatrick has amassed a strong following.
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