Recently NicoNico Douga signed an agreement with various copyright owners to remove MADs. But all these might change, and MADs might become legalised again in 2009 if this new action plan by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications goes through smoothly.

The Ministry is planning to setup a special “cyber-district”, whereby creative users can make use of commercial copyrighted works in their creation while being able to ignore the usual requirements for permission and royalties. In fact, the Ministry has requested for 2 billion yen to fund this action plan.

The reason behind is sudden relaxing of attitudes is to prevent Japan’s Internet/telecommunications companies are not hampered in their international competitiveness by the outmoded copyright models of the previous century.

Source: Yomiuri News via Sankaku Complex

Looks like there is hope for Nico Nico Douga after all.