Nintendo will allow fans on NicoNico Video (“Japan’s YouTube”) to post derivative works of its IPs without consequence.
Well, there’s a headline I wouldn’t have believed I’d be writing just a few years ago. Nintendo has just announced plans to allow its games to fall under NicoNico Video’s Creative Endorsement Program, which reward creators who make highly-viewed videos. If this sounds a lot like YouTube’s “Parters” system, it’s because it more or less is. NicoNico is essentially “Japan’s YouTube”, providing users in Japan with many of the features YouTube gives us in the west.
Nintendo’s endorsement of the program means that Japanese fans will be able to post derivative works of Nintendo’s IPs without fear of any consequence from the developer. This means Let’s Plays, walkthroughs, machinima, music covers, and reviews will all be safe. This is a big change from just a year ago, where Nintendo was actively flexing its copyright muscle on YouTube.
The Creative Endorsement Program was originally created by NicoNico and its parent company Dwango back in 2011, as an incentive for creators to continue making high-traffic videos for the video streaming site.
The announcement of Nintendo’s endorsement was made by its top banana Satoru Iwata, who revealed the information as part of a promotion of Dwango’s Tokaigi “Game Party Japan” 2015 – an event celebrating playing games together in Japan. Nintendo will be a main sponsor of the event, which will take place on January 31 and February 1 next year.
We don’t have any word if Nintendo will be offering similar endorsement and permissions for derivative works on YouTube or any other media in the west, but we have reached out to Nintendo of America for comment.
Source: Nintendo Everything
