Models at "C3 in Hong Kong", an expo for fans of Japanese anime and manga culture, in Wan Chai in February. Photo: Felix Wong

Ultraman's greatest challenge: rampant copyright pirates across China

Rights holder on the mainland says nearly all of the smartphone apps based on popular superhero sold are unauthorised

Published: 9:00pm, 15 Nov 2015

Japan’s Ultraman superhero is facing an intellectual property battle in China after a distibutor there said 99 per cent of all mobile games featuring the character were pirated, state media reported.

SCLA, a Shanghai-based company that holds Ultraman franchise rights on the Chinese mainland, said only three out of dozens of related games launched in the second quarter were authorised, according to Xinhua.

99 per cent of all mobile games featuring Ultraman were pirated in China.

The Japanese animated character is popular among mainlanders born in the 1970s and 1980s, when the series became a local hit.

SCLA, the Shanghai Character License Administrative Corporation, said it would launch an investigation into the piracy and hoped to “build a long-term mechanism” to counter infringement of intellectual property rights.

Ultraman is popular among mainlanders born in the 1970s and 1980s, when the series became a local hit.

Piracy and counterfeiting remain a serious problem on the mainland despite strengthened protection in recent years.

Some 85,000 people have been detained since 2013 for suspected IP violations, Xinhua said.

Post