Love Live! Sunshine!! is quite popular in Japan, and that means, the official merchandise tends to disappear whenever they are up for sale. Now, due to the popularity of the anime, two males came up with an idea to sell clothes that are inspired by the anime without permission.
Yes, this is illegal, and sadly for both men, they were recently captured by the police department. We understand that cops from both Shizuika Prefecture and Numazu City teamed up to capture two shop managers.
The report states that the arrests took place on Wednesday, and the reason is all about them choosing to sell fake Love Live! Sunshine!! merchandise. Apparently, the sakes took place in Akihabara, Tokyo, and we’re guessing they made a decent amount of money from their illegal activity.
The men, who are 55 and 46 years of age, are residents of Koshigayashi, Saitama. When arrested, the police department seized hoodies and other material with the Love Live! Sunshine!! logo and other content from the anime.
Now, the officers are investigating the matter in a bid to find out how the hoodies were produced in the first place. If they can, then they’ll be able to crack down on one of many pirates throughout the country.
At the end of the day, it’s going to be very difficult for the authorities to bring an end to the creation of copyrighted material. Demand is high, and because they’re cheaper, consumers will choose to go for the fake instead of the original.
Additionally, not everyone knows what is fake from what is not, therefore, it’s up to the creators of the anime to educate the masses.