The News Lens
Date: 2016/06/20
By: Bing-sheng Lee

With more and more cosplayers crowding the streets in Taiwan each year, does the subculture need protection, and does it violate copyright laws?

The growing popularity of cosplay in Taiwan has prompted legislators to call on the government to adopt measures to protect the rights of the thousands of people who participate in this colorful and often misunderstood subculture.

Cosplay, in which participants wear costumes to represent a character in comic books or anime, originated in Japan about 30 years ago and has been popular among manga enthusiasts and young comic book lovers in Taiwan over the past two decades.

Since 2000, many major cosplay events have been held around the country, drawing tens of thousands of cosplayers every year. In 2014 Taiwan became a member of the World Cosplay Summit (WCS), an annual international cosplay event held in Japan.     [FULL  STORY]