subverting copyright with Doujinshi

In an interview on the SXSW site, Lessig talked about comics in Japan. I knew that comics were huge, on a scale of popularity nothing like we see in the states, but I hadn't heard of "Doujinshi" before. Thousands of people are creating their own comics based on popular characters, re-telling stories, and/or making up new characters and situations completely, all with the support of the original comic artists (copyright law preventing derivative works be damned). It's fan fiction on a completely different level and definitely worth watching (though I must admit, Google gives me almost nothing besides galleries of work for searches about Doujinshi).

update: a good intro on doujinshi (thanks waxy)