If a Law-Firm "Settlement Letter" Arrives After File-Sharing: Don't Ignore It, Ask Who Used the PC, and Call 188 in Japan — National Consumer Affairs Center Case, Oct 29

If a "settlement letter" in a law firm's name says "300,000 yen for one work, 700,000 yen for several", do not just ignore it, and before you pay or call, check who in the family used that computer and call Japan's Consumer Hotline 188. On October 29 the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan posted, in its Mimamori Shinsen (watch-over alert) issue No. 555, the case of a person in their 60s who received such a letter after file-sharing software was used.

In the case, the ISP had first sent an "opinion inquiry on disclosure of sender information", but the person had no idea why and left it alone. Then a settlement letter in a law firm's name arrived. The computer was shared by the family and also used by a child. The Center explains that when you download videos and similar files with file-sharing software, you may be uploading the same file without knowing it.

If your family shares a computer, forward this article. Such letters go to the internet contract holder (the Center), not to whoever used the machine. Even if the holder has no idea, someone else in the family may have used it.

How the pattern runs (from the Center's cases)

• ▸① Install the software: someone looks online for a video or comic they want to see and installs file-sharing software, sometimes without understanding how it works
• ▸② Watching, while uploading: downloading can make the same file available to others at the same time. Even if you were unaware, unauthorized uploading may be copyright infringement
• ▸③ An "opinion inquiry" from the ISP: after a rights holder's request, the ISP may send the contract holder an "opinion inquiry on disclosure of sender information". In a case the Center published in July 2025, the recipient was asked to answer in writing within two weeks whether they consent to disclosure
• ▸④ A law-firm "settlement letter": after the inquiry, a letter in a law firm's name asks for a settlement. In the October 29 case it was 300,000 yen for one work, 700,000 yen for several

What to do when a letter arrives (the Center's advice)

• ▸Do not ignore it: if an "opinion inquiry on disclosure of sender information" or similar arrives, deal with it even if you have no idea why it came
• ▸Check who used the device: the letter goes to the contract holder, so check whether family members or others who share the device used it
• ▸Look at the deadline: in the case, the inquiry set a deadline of two weeks for a written answer. If you can't tell what a letter requires, check the deadline and then ask for advice
• ▸If you are unsure, ask: consult a consumer center (Consumer Hotline 188 in Japan). For handling an inquiry, the Center's September 2022 page pointed to the Illegal and Harmful Information Consultation Center, but that site says it is under maintenance, with use and consultation registration suspended since 12:20 on October 22, 2026 and an expected end of 12:00 on November 5 (checked November 2). Don't wait for it; ask 188
• ▸For the future: don't use file-sharing software without understanding how it works and its risks; don't download or upload illegally; if you share a device, set rules, and give children's accounts "user" rather than administrator rights so software can't be installed freely

Note: this article cannot tell you whether a letter you received is a genuine claim or a fake. The Center's case does not address that either. Whether something is copyright infringement, and whether you owe payment, depends on the individual facts, and we cannot judge it here. Keep the letter, and ask 188 or a professional such as a lawyer.

What you can do today

• ✓★Check whether file-sharing software is installed on the family computer. If you find software nobody remembers installing, ask the family who put it there
• ✓Give the computers children use a "user" account, not an administrator account. Administrator rights let anyone install software
• ✓Open mail from your ISP or from a law office, even if you don't know why it came, and read it. If it shows a deadline, write it down
• ✓Keep any letter you receive, envelope included. You can show it as it is when you ask for advice
• ✓Write the consultation numbers next to the phone. Consumer Hotline 188 (connects to your local consumer center in Japan); police consultation line #9110 in Japan

If a letter has already arrived

• ✓First photograph the sender, the date and the deadline. Keep the envelope too
• ✓Don't promise to pay or call the number on the letter before you have asked for advice.
• ✓Call 188. It connects to your local consumer center in Japan. The Illegal and Harmful Information Consultation Center, which the Center pointed to for handling inquiries, was under maintenance as of November 2 (expected to end 12:00 on November 5), so don't wait for it; ask 188
• ✓If threatening or debt-collection-style calls come, call #9110 or your nearest police station in Japan. Call 110 in an emergency

Three lines to share with family

• ▸With file-sharing software, you may be "handing out" a file at the same time as you "watch" it (National Consumer Affairs Center, Oct 29). Check for software nobody remembers installing
• ▸★If an "opinion inquiry" or a law-firm "settlement letter" arrives, don't ignore it. Before promising to pay, check who in the family used the computer.
• ▸If unsure, call Consumer Hotline 188 in Japan. If threatened, the police line #9110. Keep the letters

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