Crunchyroll is significantly expanding its efforts to combat anime piracy, with the company currently recruiting a senior executive to oversee its global content protection strategy. The position comes as unauthorized anime distribution continues to challenge copyright holders and publishers across international markets.
According to Crunchyroll’s official job listing, the company is looking for a Vice President of Content Protection & Anti-Piracy. The executive will report to Crunchyroll’s General Counsel and be responsible for developing the company’s long-term approach to protecting its anime library and intellectual property.
Crunchyroll’s New Anti-Piracy Role Will Cover AI and Major Platforms
The position goes beyond traditional copyright takedowns. Crunchyroll wants the new executive to establish its technology roadmap, oversee enforcement operations and evaluate AI-enabled anti-piracy tools that can identify and respond to unauthorized content.
The role will also involve working with websites, streaming services, social media platforms, search engines and cyberlockers. Crunchyroll specifically lists experience with digital fingerprinting, content recognition, DRM, online investigations and domain and hosting infrastructure among its preferred qualifications.
The company also plans to strengthen relationships with hosting providers, registrars, CDN companies, payment processors and major digital platforms. This would allow Crunchyroll to pursue piracy networks across multiple parts of the online distribution chain rather than relying solely on individual copyright removal requests.
The move comes as Japan itself is increasing its focus on protecting internationally distributed entertainment. Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has included stronger international enforcement against pirated content in its strategy to increase overseas sales of Japanese-originated content to ¥20 trillion by 2033.
There is also growing international cooperation. Japan’s Content Overseas Distribution Association recently signed an agreement with IP House to strengthen efforts against piracy and counterfeit goods, building on enforcement operations targeting anime piracy websites in Brazil.
Crunchyroll’s recruitment therefore signals that the company intends to make anti-piracy enforcement a larger part of its global anime business as the medium continues expanding worldwide.
