On May 13th, the VTubers agency “VSPO! (Virtual eSports Project)” issued a press release informing about the measures taken by its Anti-Defamation Committee protect the rights of your team members, VTubers, and employees from defamation, harassment, and other offensive actions.

VSPO! has identified an individual who has published several defamatory and invasive articles against the agency's VTubers. This person has agreed not to publish any more articles in the future and to delete existing ones, in addition to paying 2,386,490 yen (over 15,000 US dollars) as part of the damages caused.

The agency also identified a user who posted defamatory and false messages on the 5ch forum. After receiving the disclosure of IP addresses and other relevant information, VSPO! filed a lawsuit against the Internet service provider to obtain the sender's data. The Tokyo District Court ruled in favor of the agency, ordering the release of the data and confirming that VTubers' rights had been violated.

In addition to these cases, VSPO! is involved in several lawsuits and negotiations against individuals, website operators, suppliers and platforms for defamation of its VTubers on social networks and websites. The agency will continue to pursue legal action and claims for damages, including criminal proceedings as appropriate, against any defamatory or libelous acts.

Online harassment is a growing problem affecting many content creators, especially VTubers. These creators, who use virtual avatars to interact with their audience, are not exempt from experiencing personal attacks. Defamation, stalking, and other offensive acts can have serious emotional consequences for the people behind the virtual characters. These attacks not only affect your emotional well-being, but can also damage your reputation and career.

Anonymity on the Internet often facilitates this type of behavior, allowing harassers to act without fear of immediate repercussions. Agencies like VSPO! play a crucial role in taking legal action to protect their VTubers and ensure they can continue to create content in a safe and respectful environment.

• «I knew, I knew there were a lot of crazy old men watching VTubers on the internet».
• «Why is there so much movement in this area?».
• «I don't know many VTubers besides VSPO! and Nijisanji. Aren't young people the only ones interested in these things?».
• «I think VSPO! They have a reputation for having a lot of male friends and playing video games with them, maybe it wasn't the best idea for a medium like this».
• «Ultimately, the best way to get money is to reach an out-of-court settlement.».
• «I don't understand how you can hate an internet character with such passion.».
• «Subtracting the lawyers' costs, they probably lost anyway, but they set the precedent at least.».

Source: Otakomu