Residents of Japan have permission to create derivative works strictly for fan activities

NBC Universal announced on its website on Saturday that residents of Japan have express permission to create derivative works of the TV anime series Serial Experiments Lain for non-commercial fan activities until July 2028 as part of an "Open Source Project."

The guidelines clarify that they are only permitting derivative works based on the source material. It is still forbidden to reproduce direct footage, music, or images from the anime without permission, and individuals will require permission to create anything that could be mistaken for an official product. The guidelines ask fans not to create derivative works for religious or political purposes, nor should they be used to advertise adult services or for expressing obscenities. Fans are also asked not to create anything that will be damaging to the reputation of NBC Universal, the anime's creators, or to the fan community.

The guidelines remind fans not to infringe intellectual property rights or other rights of other products and to obey the national and prefecture laws with their creations. The terms of the guidelines are subject to change at any time.

Serial Experiments Lain first debuted in 1998. The series celebrated its 20th anniversary last year with fan events. Scriptwriter Chiaki J. Konaka recently looked back on the series in a blog post, explaining his creative process.

Source: NBC Universal, OTAQUEST (Jacob Parker-Dalton)