The Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (社団法人日本音楽著作権協会 Shadanhōjin Nihon Ongaku Chosakuken Kyōkai), often referred to as the JASRAC (ジャスラック Jasurakku) is a Japanese copyright collection society. It was founded in 1939 as a non-profit making organization, and is the largest musical copyright administration society in Japan.
In 2006, JASRAC took legal action by requesting that nearly 30,000 videos featuring songs or clips that violated the copyrights of Sony Music Entertainment Japan, Avex Japan, Pony Canyon, JVC Victor, Warner Japan, Toy's Factory, and Universal Japan be removed from YouTube.com.[1]
In April 2008, FTC ( Fair Trade Commission ) officials raided the society’s Tokyo headquarters on suspicion of violating Japan’s Anti-Monopoly Law. In February 2009 the FTC ruled that the system prevents other companies from entering the copyright-fee collection and management business.
In February 2009, a cease-and-desist order was issued by the Japanese FTC (Fair Trade Commission) demanding that the society end its blanket-fee system. Under that system, radio and TV stations are allowed unlimited use of JASRAC-managed music copyrights for a flat fee of 1.5% of their annual broadcasting revenue.
JASRAC and Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) have an interlocking relationship, and some of the bureaucrats of MEXT sometimes parachute into JASRAC.