In early 2020, the most popular virtual YouTuber agency Hololive decided debut a new line of Vtubers to cater to the English speaking audience. During this time, Nijisanji, another VTubing agency, became a competitor to Hololive as Nijisanji was expanding to the English audience as well. The two agencies share similar business goals. But despite their similarities, Hololive and Nijisanji are different in many ways. It is also common for Hololive and Nijisanji talents to collaborate. In Japan, the two agencies handle many talents and have a common goal of building their business.
The parent companies, Cover Corp and Anycolor Inc., have recently teamed up to combat slander and defamation against Vtubers in their space. The two companies issued a joint statement in Japanese and English to address the allegations against their respective talent. These cases range in severity from the misinformation to vandalism to death threats. Hololive has also recently taken steps against harassment of its VTubers. The agencies have created contact forms for users to report abusive behavior. It also plans to take legal action against anonymous posters who make malicious, social media posts.
In Japan, defamation can be prosecuted either criminally or civilly whether the allegations made online are true or not. Offenders convicted of online insults can be jailed for up to one year or fined 300,000 yen (about $2,200). It also apply to well known Internet personalities not just as an individual. These laws were are a clear response to the wave of vitriol that erupted after the death of “Terrace House” star Hana Kimura who was a former professional wrestler and committed suicide at age 22 following a series of online harassment.
The official statement from Cover Corp and AnyColor Inc posted on December 5th 2022, is the following:
“
Thank you very much as always for your incredible support of the virtual livers and talents that are affiliated with both ANYCOLOR Inc. and COVER Corporation.
On a daily basis, we greatly appreciate that everyone is enjoying the various content that we provide and how everyone has continued to warmly support us since our companies began our VTuber businesses.
However, on the other hand, we condemn the fact that the reputation or trust of virtual livers and talents that are affiliated with our companies are being unnecessarily tarnished, and we truly regret that acts of defamation and the like are being committed by certain individuals with the intention of unjustly interfering with VTuber activities.
These acts of defamation are being anonymously carried out in a carefree manner on internet forums, social media and the like. Such acts are harming the emotions and mental state of affiliated virtual livers and talents, are placing them in a situation to make it difficult to conduct their activities and, furthermore, are ruining their lives.
Therefore, we are striving to protect affiliated virtual livers and talents from these heartless acts of defamation and the like. We have, thus far, held a firm position on these matters and have been engaging in public awareness campaigns and various strategies so that our fans can comfortably enjoy the various content that we provide. Going forward, while implementing these countermeasures, we intend to go even further by cooperating with other companies in accordance with the circumstances and matters at hand and intend to work vigorously to eradicate acts of defamation.
Specifically, with respect to acts of defamation, infringement of privacy rights, infringement of goodwill by acts such as “trolling,” and attacks such as death threats, stalking acts and the like that are committed against affiliated virtual livers and talents, we will be sharing know-how to execute the countermeasures discussed above, working together on various other countermeasures, which includes taking legal action (related to cases where affiliated virtual livers/ talents of both companies are being victimized), and structuring a system where we can work together with the police and other companies.
Note: From October 2022 to November 2022, we have worked together to negotiate with the operators of certain, so-called “summary sites” that we have determined to have posted information that tarnishes the reputation or trust of our affiliated virtual livers and talents. We are moving towards entering into a settlement agreement with such operators that will take the form of having certain conditions to ensure that the rights of affiliated virtual livers and talents cannot be infringed and that any acts to assist with defamation and the like will no longer occur.
By the two companies working together this time around and going forward to carry out various countermeasures, we have taken a great step forward toward creating an environment where affiliated virtual livers and talents can comfortably engage in their activities. We will continue to endeavor in strengthening these procedures and engage in various countermeasures.
We appreciate your continued support going forward.
“