Now JASRAC (Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers
and Publishers) has formally begun a further step in its mission to
enforce copyright in a range of public space. On September 25,
2017, the Sapporo District Court in Hokkaido began the initial oral
hearings in JASRAC's first case against haircutting
establishments that are allegedly playing songs for which JASRAC
administers copyright. The barbershop owner claimed that he was using
music lacking copyright over the past three years for which
JASRAC demands royalty payment.
The royalties arrears, as JASRAC has calculated for the past
three years, is in the range of under a few hundred dollars. Over
this single case the fight seems exaggerated, but considering the
numerous barber shops and hair salons throughout Japan, this
signals a warning to thousands of establishments that they may be
required to pay up if the case goes against the defendant in this
case. In June 2017, he claimed JASRAC had told him that
