Tivoing past the ads now banned in Japan?

News.com own ad blog widget posts: Skipping TV ads illegal in Japan?

That anxiety is spreading to Japan, where broadcasters are now saying that skipping commercials is actually a violation of that country's Copyright Law.

it reads, linking to a page that Yahoo Asia seems to have removed so I really can't tell if it is illegal or might become illegal.
Why this is beginning to sound just like that we posted about in '04, which reads:

"The bill would also permit people to use technology to skip objectionable content -- like a gory or sexually explicit scene -- in films, a right that consumers already have. However, under the proposed language, viewers would not be allowed to use software or devices to skip commercials or promotional announcements "that would otherwise be performed or displayed before, during or after the performance of the motion picture," like the previews on a DVD. The proposed law also includes language from the Pirate Act (S2237), which would permit the Justice Department to file civil lawsuits against alleged copyright infringers."

And do you recall that someone compared skipping the ads with Tivo to stealing programming back then? I do, but I haven't managed to google it up, my google-fu seems to be a bit off today.

Previous TiVo type talks on Adland: Tivo shills with pop-ups and avoiding ads becomes illegal...?, , Tivo - advertisers best friend?, Do we know where we're heading?, Garfield's "Chaos Scenario" Via Adjab.