In a tribute to the late Japanese manga artist Akira Toriyama, a giant mural featuring the characters of the popular “Dragon Ball” franchise has been created in Kampar, Perak.
However, this is now the subject of a copyright controversy.
The mural, located on a wall next to DAP’s Keranji branch office at Jalan Pejabat Pos, is part of the "Virtual Reality Anime City" project initiated by Kampar MP Chong Zhemin and Keranji assemblyperson Angeline Koo.
Lau Shaw Ming, the president of the newly formed Malaysia Creative Intellectual Property Association (MYCIP), said although the mural is not an admission-based attraction, its sheer scale required authorisation from Japanese rights holders.
"Many people offer various reasons, such as 'this is non-commercial; no charging; it's a tribute to the author’…
"However, since you create such a large mural or a project like 'Virtual Reality Anime City', you need authorisation from the rights holders, even if it is not for commercial use.
"It’s unacceptable to use the excuse of not charging money or revitalising a local town to justify infringement. This is a very bad practice," he said in a podcast on Malaysiakini’s Chinese site.
This episode is available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
The 15m-tall mural is replete with 10 characters from the “Dragon Ball” series as well as a portrait of its creator, who passed away on March 1.
According to media reports, the mural also has an augmented reality feature, which can be accessed by scanning the QR code next to the artwork using the camera function on the Facebook mobile app.
Virtual reality anime city
During its launch on May 6, Chong and Koo said if suitable locations are found, more murals of other anime or manga characters would be created to transform Kampar into a "virtual reality anime city" and attract tourists.
Commenting on this, Lau said that if a local artist paints a mural without government or private sector support, rights holders usually turn a blind eye.
"However, if government units, private enterprises, or profit-making entities are involved, there will be a big problem. Moreover, this represents our country's image; it’s particularly embarrassing if government units lead the way in infringing copyrights," he added.
Lau is also the director of Majikku IP, a company that manages anime intellectual property (IP), including popular licensed works such as “Dragon Ball”, “One Piece”, and “Doraemon” from Japan.
He explained that if government units or private enterprises want to use Japanese anime IP, an application must be made through the Malaysian licensing company to the Japanese side.
"If applicants contact the Japanese side directly, they usually won't get a response.
"Generally, you need to submit a proposal to the Malaysian licensing unit for review to see if the plan is feasible.
"If feasible, they will provide further conditions. Because each licensing cooperation requires a licensing fee to use the intellectual property images,” he added.
Legal action a possibility
According to Lau, if Toei Animation, the Japanese rights holder for “Dragon Ball” discovers the mural in Kampar, they might take legal action against the involved parties.
"It might not just be a simple matter of compensation because it affects the entire country’s image,” he warned.
Lau said that when the MYCIP learned about Chong and Koo's "virtual reality anime city" plan, the committee members were worried about the consequences.
"We have many companies collaborating with Japan. If these things keep happening in Malaysia, it will directly affect the business relationship between Japan and Malaysia.
“The Japanese side will wonder why Malaysia keeps infringing copyrights," he added.
Lau suggested that instead of painting the “Dragon Ball” mural, Chong and Koo should consider local comic works, such as the famous comic "Kampung Boy" by cartoonist Mohammad Nor Khalid, commonly known as Lat, who is from Ipoh.
"Maybe you still need to pay, but at least it won’t be as expensive as Japanese anime IP. At least people will see that you are supporting local intellectual property and that you paid for it," he added.
When contacted, Chong declined to comment. Meanwhile, Koo said whether there is infringement or not can be clarified by consulting a lawyer. - Mkini
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