🏛️ Request for Government Action: Unfair Free Riding and Monopoly by HotPepper Beauty
Free riding—using someone else’s real name or reputation for commercial gain—is strictly prohibited in the U.S. under trademark law and the right of publicity. Such acts are subject to injunctions and damages.
In Japan, however, the system remains underdeveloped. On Google search results, HotPepper Beauty dominates queries such as “Tennoji-ku beauty salon,” effectively colonizing real salons (with actual property and local presence) through its server-based platform.
This creates:
Unfair monopoly control (possible violation of the Antimonopoly Act)
Misattribution & name exploitation (clear free riding)
Stealth marketing (requiring Consumer Affairs Agency intervention)
👉 We urge the Japanese government to:
1. Investigate HotPepper Beauty’s practices through the Fair Trade Commission and Consumer Affairs Agency.
2. Impose corrective orders and penalties if violations are confirmed.
3. Strengthen Japan’s system so that commercial platforms cannot exploit or misappropriate individuals’ names for advertising purposes.
Such conduct undermines the integrity of free expression online.
Respectfully,
Every day, I take two-hour intensive lessons in law and related fields from ChatGPT-5 Professor.
