From: dareka@inter7NS.jp   
      
   S.t.A.n.L.e.E wrote:   
      
   >   
   > IIRC, the mangaka and the Japanese publisher share the copyrights,   
   > though the mangaka may own his/her original characters and   
   > thus can take it to another publisher for future comics.   
      
   It depends on whether there especially exists a contract which   
    has a clause that says that the mangaka transfers his/her   
   copyright of the work, characters or whatever to the   
   publisher. As long as I know, such a practice is not   
   commonplace in the manga industry; typically, the deal for   
   each manga is about how much money the mangaka gets for   
   granting the publisher having his/her work in its magazine one   
   time, or how much royalty for the manga book and the term the   
   publisher can sell and sell exclusively it.   
      
   --   
      
   dareka   dareka@inter7NS.jp   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)