YouTuber Gets 2-Year Sentence & Million Yen Fine for Spoiling Steins;Gate

The YouTuber who was arrested for uploading unauthorized gameplay footage of Steins;Gate has been sentenced to 2 years in jail (suspended, up to 5 years) and a million yen fine for spoiling the game, marking the first time that a conviction has been made for violating copyright laws over the distribution of game videos.

In 2019, the defendant, 52-year-old Shinobu Yoshida, uploaded three items, including a gameplay video with footage including ending spoilers for the adventure game Steins;Gate: My Darling's Embrace. He also uploaded an edited video of the anime Spy x Family.

He was indicted for infringing copyright laws for uploading the videos on YouTube without permission from September to May 2022. During the trial, the defendant explained his motive: “I just wanted someone to see what I made as part of my hobby.”

While the prosecution argued, “It is a malicious act that tramples on the efforts of content production” by reducing the “willingness to purchase legitimate products,” the defense attorney sought a suspended sentence, arguing that the defendant's actions “cannot be said to be particularly malicious.”