THE GLICO-MORINAGA CASE

My Story- It was an early September morning in 1983 when the residents of a small rural town in Sapporo, Japan were awoken by the sound of an ambulance siren and a loud banging on the door of an unsuspecting young college student named Glico Morinaga. Little did the townspeople know, this was the beginning of a lengthy and highly publicized legal battle that would go on to become one of the most controversial intellectual property cases in Japanese history.

Glico Morinaga was just a normal college student in Sapporo at the time, living with his family and focusing on his studies. He had no concept or knowledge of what was about to happen to him and his family that fateful day.

Around 8 AM, an ambulance appeared at Glico's house and four doctors loaded Glico into it and drove him away. Later that day, Glico's father was notified by police that his son had been taken to the hospital under a mental health evaluation. This was news to Glico and his family, who were now worried about Glico's safety.

The doctors at the hospital would later reveal why Glico was taken into custody. Apparently, on August 28th - two days prior - Glico posted a series of articles on a local message board discussing a Japanese intellectual property law and its implications upon the future of Japanese media and copyright cases. Unfortunately, the content of his post was seen as a threat to national security and he was promptly arrested.

Soon after his arrest, the police asked Glico to sign an official document that they had drafted in order to protect the identity of the people who reported him to the authorities. Despite Glico's confusion and reluctance to sign, he was left with no choice but to do so for the sake of his own safety.

The police then took Glico to a psychiatric hospital for a mental health evaluation and it was there that he found out he was being accused of a crime that was punishable by up to three years in prison. It was later revealed that the police had seized Glico's computer and email records, along with various other personal documents and had used them as evidence against him.

It was at this point that Glico's situation seemed to be dire, as the police had all of the evidence necessary to prove their case. However, Glico decided to fight back and seek legal help in order to protect his rights.

Glico then contacted a lawyer who specialized in intellectual property law and was able to get an attorney to fight his case. His lawyer presented his case to the courts of Japan, arguing that Glico's arrest and subsequent treatment at the psychiatric hospital had been unconstitutional and unjust.

Despite the odds being against him, Glico's case slowly gained traction and began to receive more attention from the media, who began to report on the details of the case. More importantly, people began to sympathize with Glico and his situation, and many of them began to donate their money and resources to help fund his legal battle.

After months and months of legal proceedings, the courts of Japan finally ruled in Glico's favor and overturned his criminal conviction. He was acquitted of all charges in December 1986 and the Japan Supreme Court eventually even paid him 8.2 million yen in compensation.

This was a huge victory for Glico, and it marked a major victory for freedom of speech and expression in Japan and served as an important reminder that people should not be afraid to speak their minds. Glico's case also set a precedent in Japan that gave people more protection and rights when it comes to online expression and intellectual property law.

Glico went on to become a lawyer himself, and his story and the legal battle he fought continue to be taught in schools and legal studies around Japan. His story serves as an important reminder to stand up for what you believe in and that intellectual property rights must be respected and protected. What started as an early morning siren call and a loud banging on a door quickly became one of the most famous and important cases in Japanese legal history.