Japanese anti-piracy association CODA got another win against anime piracy as a United States court issued the disclosure of user information for accounts that have been illegally leaking anime episodes before their official release.
In an official report from CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association), the organization explained that CODA member companies Aniplex Inc. and Toho Co., Ltd filed a request for the disclosure of information in the U.S. court system in June 2024 for multiple accounts that were posting videos and still images taken from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Jujutsu Kaisen on X (formerly Twitter). The companies claim leaked content was spread "widely among the public and garnered many views."
The ruling, which was issued on August 20, 2024, is the first time that a U.S. court has obtained an order to disclose the sender's information for a Japanese anime-related leak, making a major win in the battle against anime piracy.
Aniplex Inc. and Toho Co., Ltd. provided information on multiple accounts while CODA, which was consulted, collected information and evidence about these accounts. According to reports, a total of 12 accounts on X have been targeted by the court order.
CODA notes that it has also received similar complaints involving other anime titles and is currently gathering more information and evidence. "We will continue to work with the rights holders of the victims to take strict action based on the information of the account owners that comes to light, and will demand severe punishment for these leak accounts," the organization stated.
This can be viewed as another major win for the Japanese anti-piracy association which also made headlines just a few weeks ago when dozens of the world's most popular anime piracy websites were shut down. AniWave (AnimeWave), AnimeSuga, and 123Anime were just a few of the dozen top-visited piracy websites that seemingly closed up shop overnight with no explanation or warning.
It was later revealed that their closure was due to an international operation involving CODA and Brazilian law enforcement called "Operation Animes." A total of 36 anime pirating sites were shut down in early 2023, followed by another 16 sites (including AniWave, AnimeSuga, and more) in recent weeks. Toei Animation, Toho, and Bandai Namco Filmworks actually filed criminal charges through CODA against several piracy websites in Brazil that infringe on Japanese anime.
Anime is one of the fastest-growing forms of entertainment media in the world with companies like Netflix, Amazon, Disney, and more all trying to get more involved with their streaming services. With how much money is now involved with anime licensing, it's no surprise we are starting to see a crackdown on piracy.
"We would like fans of Japanese content to be aware that watching pirated sites and illegally uploaded videos harms the interests of creators and rights holders who create works, and destroys the content creation cycle," CODA recently warned. "We would like fans to recognize that manga and anime will continue to evolve if they enjoy content properly, and for that reason, we will continue to actively promote our business with the aim of creating a healthy market where legitimate content can be delivered to fans overseas."
While piracy was once viewed as one of the few ways to enjoy anime content that was often unavailable in major regions, the advent of streaming has made it more widely and easily accessible. Now you can find many popular anime shows and movies on streaming platforms like Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, HIDIVE, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.
Although piracy will never fully be eradicated from the internet, it's clear that it will no longer be ignored by authorities.