The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), which includes major media companies like Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Disney, Paramount, Sony Pictures, Universal, and Warner Bros., has taken legal steps to combat anime piracy.
They have requested subpoenas from a U.S. court to obtain personal information about the operators of some of the largest anime piracy websites. This effort aims to reduce copyright infringement significantly.
According to Torrent Freak, the top five targeted anime piracy sites collectively receive 137 million monthly visits.
These sites include Animesonlinecc.to with 18 million visits, Kickassanime.mx with 18.33 million, Goojara.to with 27.33 million, Anitaku.to with 31.33 million, and Anitaku.so with 42.33 million.
The action against these sites is part of a broader initiative to crack down on online piracy, with even more visits coming from smaller sites not listed among the top five.
Global Anime Piracy Hubs Found in Tonga, Mexico, and Somalia
According to Torrent Freak, while subpoena requests can be helpful, they do not always lead to the arrests of anime piracy site operators.
This is because many pirates provide false information to domain providers, making it difficult to trace them.
A clear pattern shows that many popular anime piracy sites use domains like .to (Tonga), .mx (Mexico), and .so (Somalia), which are known for being less strict or slow in addressing piracy issues.
Countries like Colombia, Russia, and China, along with Tonga, Mexico, and Somalia, are often seen as lenient or uncooperative in shutting down these sites.
This leniency allows the operators of these piracy sites to continue their activities despite legal actions against them.
AniWatch Highlights Challenges in Anti-Piracy Battle for Anime
Recently, ACE and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPA) achieved a legal victory in India by obtaining a court order to block access to aniwatch.to, a major anime piracy site popular in the country.
This led to the site shutting down in India due to its large user base there. However, the site quickly rebranded and resurfaced under a different name, highlighting the ongoing challenges in combating online piracy effectively.
Japan’s Innovative Approach to Combatting Manga Piracy
Japan is taking aggressive steps to combat anime and manga piracy, comparing it to battling a persistent problem like the hydra.
Their strategy includes initiatives such as translating 50,000 manga titles within five years to meet demand faster and at a lower cost, aiming to steer consumers towards legal options.
The country’s anti-piracy agency, CODA, is collaborating globally with state police to arrest suspects, recently conducting raids in Brazil with South Korean intelligence.
In Japan, convicted pirates face harsh penalties, highlighted by a record-breaking 1.7 billion yen fine imposed on Mangamura, once the largest manga piracy site.
This landmark ruling underscores Japan’s uncompromising stance on protecting intellectual property.
