Japanese media are constantly the victims of copyright infringement. Despite being favoured by global fans, it still encountered challenges of delay and limited distribution in reaching audiences worldwide. It led to a movement called Fan-Subtitle, in which fans perform the role of translating content and distributing it illegally on video-sharing platforms, without original creator’s consent. This study examines Thai fan-subtitle creators of Japanese drama, focusing on their motives and practices of fan-subtitling, including challenges that official copyrighters are struggling with in exporting to the global market and meeting latent audience demand.” A qualitative method will be adopted, conducted through in-depth interviews with 10 Thai fan-subtitle creators and three official copyrighters. A grounded theory with thematic analysis to discover the insights and examine the rationales behind the phenomenon. This research examines motivations, work practices, and challenges in distributing Japanese drama to the international market. Initial findings revealed that 1) the fan-subtitle group is a global phenomenon that emerged from latent demand and the advancement of technology. 2) Compared with past studies, the practice is similar to that of the past decades. 3) Japanese filmmakers and platform providers encountered challenges in global distribution. The further discussion is: 1) developing new business models or practices that compromise the fan-subtitling and copyright, 2) comparing fan-subtitling with fair use, and 3) will AI disrupt the fansub industry in the future? A quantitative study is required to identify the market’s potential for Japanese drama distributors and mitigate damage from copyright infringement in the future.

Authors:
Rattanun Jariyavilaskul, Bangkok University, Thailand

About the Presenter(s)
Rattanun Jariyavilaskul is currently a lecturer of Bangkok University, Thailand. His interested areas are cultural and creative industries, and businesses in Asia.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rattanun-jariyavilaskul-184082225/

See this presentation on the full schedule – Friday Schedule

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