Demon Slayer Busts Popular Bootleg Bakery with Tokyo Police

When it comes to copyright laws, Japan has tightened the reins on creators the world over. As series like Demon Slayer continue to grow in popularity, it is no surprise to learn how proactive publicity teams are in crushing bootleg sales. And now, it seems the franchise has nabbed another seller who dabbled in cakes of all things.

The news comes straight from NHK over in Japan. The Japanese trade told fans Demon Slayer’s team partnered with the Tokyo police to locate a baker selling bootleg cakes. In this case, the sweets were labeled as bootleg since they featured official art from the series, and authorities tracked down the baker in early November.

According to NHK, the 34-year-old woman began selling Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba cakes in 2019 and kept up the business until authorities tracked her down. The report says the unnamed woman sold hundreds of cakes by way of Instagram. Each cake sold around $110 to $135 USD, and the bakery caught the eye of lawyers once fans discovered the cakes were using official art. This means the cakes displayed copyrighted art from creator Koyoharu Gotouge, and in a recent statement, the baker admits they knew their actions were illegal.

“I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I didn’t think I’d be able to sell ordinary cakes,” they explained. Now, the legal team representing Demon Slayer is seeking damages for the baker’s sales, and some fans are admittedly surprised by this case.

After all, fan art is hardly a legal issue in the United States, but Japan sees the works differently. There is no legal protection for fan-art creators overseas, but most artists overlook fan-art sales when they are done in small batches and sold at in-person events. Unfortunately for the accused baker, their online bakery capitalized on Demon Slayer and did so knowing full well the consequences. So as you can imagine, these criminal cakes aren’t available any longer.

What do you think about this wild bootleg case? Do you think Demon Slayer needed to go after this bakery? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.

HT – SoraNews24