ANYCOLOR Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President: Riku Tazumi) (hereinafter, referred to as “ANYCOLOR”) reports on the activity of the Special Task Force to Combat Threatening Behavior and Defamation (hereinafter, referred to as the “Task Force“) set up in September 2020 for the purpose of combating threatening behavior such as stalking, defamation, or other abusive behavior on the Internet. 

◆  Number of Cases Handled 

Covered period: November 1, 2022 to October 31, 2023 (hereinafter, referred to as the “Covered Period”)  
Number of cases handled: Approximately 80 
*For the activity report released in October 2022, please see the following page.  
https://www.anycolor.co.jp/en/news/8b06-ryheetz

◆  Types of Behavior Handled by the Task Force  

 Having established the Task Force, ANYCOLOR took various measures during the Covered Period against behavior such as the following:  
 
- Defamation  
- Violations of privacy rights  
- Copyright infringements (such as acts of using characters with indecent intent)  
- Intimidation such as sending death threats  
- Stalking  
- Trolling  
 
*ANYCOLOR defines trolling as behavior such as the following:  
- Posting comments during video streaming on video sharing sites such as YouTube in a way that indicates the intent to obstruct streaming  
- On X (formerly Twitter) and other social networking services: 
- (i) Successively posting (tweeting) with a hashtag related to entertainers of ANYCOLOR (hereinafter, referred to as “Entertainers”) and/or ANYCOLOR, or (ii) successively posting replies that are out of context to Entertainers’ posts on social networking sites with the intent to obstruct activities of the Entertainers.  
 
- Impersonation using a SNS account with malicious intent

◆  Outline of Measures Implemented 

The Task Force took the following measures during the Covered Period. 

1  Against the infringement of rights on social networking sites
The Task Force requested the holders of X (formerly Twitter) and other SNS accounts whose posts had infringed Entertainers’ right of honor or privacy right to delete such posts, and reported them each time of such an incident to relevant SNS operators to prepare for cases in which those account holders do not comply. 
In addition, in coordination with relevant Entertainers, the Task Force pursued both civil and criminal liabilities against account holders that were found to be malicious by ANYCOLOR, after requesting their internet service providers or other relevant parties to disclose the identification information of the sender. 
The Task Force also took similar countermeasures against account holders that had posted malicious contents by way of impersonating Entertainers, or those that had posted unauthorized content that violated the boundaries of secondary use. 
*On X (formerly Twitter), a case was settled with an account holder who had repeatedly engaged in actions that infringed an Entertainer’s right of honor. A settlement was reached, as part of which the account holder was required to pay a settlement fee.  
* In addition,  settlements were reached with multiple different account holders, who engaged in actions that infringed an Entertainer’s right of honor, on various SNS platforms. 

2  Against trolling
The Task Force pursued both civil and criminal liabilities against cases of trolling on video sharing sites such as YouTube or social networking sites such as Twitter that indicated the intent to obstruct the activities of, or defaming, Entertainers, on the ground of business right infringement or the obstruction of business.  
 
*A of October 31, 2023, we have three cases of trolling for which court proceedings for requesting disclosure of identification information of the sender, mainly on the ground of the infringement of business rights, are pending. In addition, we have two other trolling cases for which we have successfully identified information of the sender. 

3 Against inappropriate video reproduction and clipped videos 
In coordination with relevant Entertainers and advisory legal firms, the Task Force pursued requests to delete the reproduction of videos, as well as posting of clipped videos, that violated ANYCOLOR guidelines. 
* In May 2023, ANYCOLOR opened the “Registration Form for YouTube channels uploading video clips”. As a general rule, we establish contact with said channels before submitting a formal request to delete inappropriate content. 
 
4  Against the infringements of rights that are taking place on internet bulletin boards
In response to internet bulletin board entries that could lead to the defamation of Entertainers and/or the infringements of their privacy rights, the Task Force requested the operators of the bulletin boards to delete the entries in coordination with such Entertainers. 
* Currently, negotiations are underway with the sender of a post, made on an anonymous message board, that infringed our Entertainers’ right of honor. 
 
5  Against death threats
In response to threats to harm Entertainers, such as death threats, the Task Force immediately filed reports with police stations and took measures to prevent any actual harm, including security arrangements in the neighborhood of relevant Entertainers’ residents. 
* Currently, we have filed 2 reports with law enforcement relating to threats, and investigations are underway to identify the persons responsible. 

6 Against the infringement of rights on blog sites
In response to articles posted on affiliate blog sites (including those for roundup blog posts) that were defamatory to, or infringed the privacy rights of, Entertainers, the Task Force requested the operators of the sites to delete such articles and prevent similar infringements in the future.  
In addition, the Task Force pursued both civil and criminal liabilities against the operators of affiliate blog sites that were found to be malicious by ANYCOLOR, after requesting their internet service providers or other relevant parties to disclose the identification information of the sender. 

7  Against copyright infringements committed in a way that is defamatory to Entertainers 
In response to collages of character images/three-dimensional models posted on video sharing sites or internet bulletin boards in a way that is defamatory to Entertainers, the Task Force requested the operators of the sites or bulletin boards to delete them on the ground of copyright infringements.  
*ANYCOLOR’s stance is to take resolute actions in response to copyright infringements committed in a way that is defamatory to Entertainers. The actions will involve pursuing liabilities on the ground of not only defamation but also copyright infringements and violations of the Unfair Competition Prevention Act (including criminal liabilities). 

8 Other actions taken
In addition to such responses to violations of rights as those described above, we have established a framework together with our stakeholders for preventing slander and defamation. In December 2022, ANYCOLOR co-published a joint statement with COVER Corporation with the aim of cooperating to vigorously eradicate acts of defamation against our affiliated virtual livers and talents (https://www.anycolor.co.jp/en/news/044l75fc-387).  In June 2023, we also joined the Cross-Industry Discussion Group on Hate and Harassment organized by Creator Economy Association, together with Google Japan G.K., note inc., UUUM Inc. and COVER Corporation. 


As stated above, the Task Force is taking various measures to counter infringements of Entertainers’ rights such as the right of honor and privacy right. 
Going forward, we will work in close coordination with stakeholders, as well as establish proactive and effective countermeasures against threatening behavior and defamation, in order to establish an environment for Entertainers to work with peace of mind and for fans to enjoy the contents of ANYCOLOR. 

Lastly, the general public can send reports on threatening behavior or defamation using the dedicated form on ANYCOLOR’s website.  
During the Covered Period, reports sent to us helped us identify and take concrete measures against behavior that had infringed Entertainers’ rights, as has been the case in the past.  
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to you for the help and would appreciate your continued support in this matter.