Aozora Bunko
Aozora Bunko (青空文庫, lit. 'Blue Sky Library', also known as the "Open Air Library") is a Japanese digital library. This online collection encompasses several thousands of works of Japanese-language fiction and non-fiction. These include out-of-copyright books or works that the authors wish to make freely available.
Aozora Bunko
Over 15,100 works (as of January 2019)
Japanese works in public domain or allowed by author
Since its inception, in 1997, Aozora Bunko has been both the compiler and publisher of an evolving online catalog.[5] In 2006, Aozora Bunko organized to add a role as a public policy advocate to protect its current and anticipated catalog of freely accessible e-books.[6]
Problems[edit]
Aozora Bunko pointed that extension of the copyright term had been influenced from the document, "The U.S.–Japan Regulatory Reform and Competition Policy Initiative."[11] Through these annual reports, the U.S. Government was requiring that the protected period of copyright should be extended to the Japanese government: 70 years after one's death for a work by an individual, and 95 years after publication for a work by a corporation. In response, the Agency for Cultural Affairs in Japan has expressed that a conclusion was obtained at the Council for Cultural Affairs copyright subcommittee by the end of 2007. If the legal revision which extends a protected period will be actually carried out, Aozora Bunko would be forced not to publish books which have already and almost been published because of the 20 years' extension of protection of copyright. Therefore, Aozora Bunko released the counter declaration against enforcement of the revised law on 1 January 2005; they started to collect the signatures for a petition on 1 January 2007.[12]
Due to the regime change in 2009 in Japan, Japanese government stopped to receive these reports from the U.S. government. Aozora Bunko does not show any responses toward that and their petition calling for opposition against the extension of copyright term stopped from the modification of October 2008.[12] Instead of the document, the website of the embassy of United States inserted the "UNITED STATES–JAPAN ECONOMIC HARMONIZATION INITIATIVE" in February 2011.[13] In the document, the U.S. government promoted the extension of copyright law for protection of intellectual property rights toward Japanese government so that it was "in line with emerging global trends, including those of its OECD counterparts and major trading partners."
On 30 December 2018, Japan did extend the period to 70 years,[14] which was a requirement stemming from the EU–Japan Economic Partnership Agreement.[15]
(in Japanese)