[Unfair Competition Prevention Act/Communication of False Facts] Osaka District Court, 2022 (Wa) 11394, “Shogi Game-Record Information” <Takemiya>
更新日：2 日前
Article information
Article type: Case note
Category: Copyright, Unfair competition law
Topics: Copyrightability
First published on this website: 2026-11-01
Display and classification checked: November 2, 2026
Originally published on Ameblo: 2025-06-13 (Japan time). Full English translation.
[Unfair Competition Prevention Act/Communication of False Facts] Osaka District Court, 2022 (Wa) 11394, “Shogi Game-Record Information” <Takemiya>
Shogi game-record information is not protected by copyright.
Game records consist of board diagrams reproducing the sequence of moves and symbolic information about the move sequence. They are not the players' thoughts or ideas fixed as expression, but merely published objective facts. (Copyrightability rejected)
The “Guidelines for Use of Game Records in the Osho Tournament” presented by the defendant were merely unilaterally established internal rules, not a legal basis for restricting third parties' free use of game-record information.
⇒ The plaintiff's video distribution did not infringe the defendant's copyright. The plaintiff's use of the game-record information fell within the scope of free use, and neither its means of acquisition nor manner of distribution was unlawful. The takedown request to the platform therefore constituted “communication of false facts.”
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November 1, 2026: First published on this website.
November 2, 2026: Added article information, classification, topics, language navigation, related articles where the same case was confirmed, consultation guidance, and SEO. The original text and first-published date were preserved.
