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Tuesday, 2nd December 2008
In Japan Entertainment News,

Japanese TV formats 'popular' globally

Japanese TV formats are becoming increasingly popular around the world, it has emerged.

Recently, the William Morris Agency, a Beverly Hills-based talent and creative agency, agreed to sell three of TV Asahi Corp's programme formats in the US and UK.

The formats include Japanese hits such as Celebrity Thrift Challenge, Suddenly! Golden Legend and Women Rate Each Other, reports asahi.com.

Sometimes, Japanese networks ask for contracts to be signed before a format is copied in another country.

Kazuo Makino, a lawyer and expert on copyright laws, said: "In both Japan and the US, copyright law bans copying a finished work, as in pirated copies.

"But the law is not as strict regarding programme set-ups and ideas and is largely up to judges to decide."

Past popular crossovers include Takeshi's Castle which ran in the UK from 2002 to 2004 and was narrated by Coronation Street and former Red Dwarf actor Craig Charles.

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