In Japan, free BitTorrent porn downloads bring legal trouble and fines
Por Kyodo — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Japan Asia East Asia In Japan, free BitTorrent porn downloads bring legal trouble and fines
Adult content users face summonses and hefty penalties for downloading clips as copyright holders widen IP-based enforcement
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Kyodo Published: 10:56am, 30 Sep 2026
Japanese BitTorrent users who thought they were simply downloading adult videos for free are increasingly receiving court notices and demands for hundreds of thousands of yen, as copyright holders step up efforts to identify users through their IP addresses.
One self-employed man in his 40s living in Tokyo began using the file-sharing software after reading about it online.
He would start downloading adult videos before going to bed and switch the software off the next morning, giving him access to large numbers of videos without paying.
Then in May, a letter arrived at his home.
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