The constant fight against anime and manga piracy has once
again gained strength. Japanese anti-piracy group
CODA has renewed its alliance with the Motion Picture Association of
America (MPA) for two more years , pledging to continue its efforts to
deter pirates. According to a report, the Content Overseas Distribution
Association (CODA) has extended its ten-year collaboration with the MPA for
another two years.
This alliance will continue to see both groups
work together to “ develop new solutions to the problem of global
online copyright infringement and strengthen joint activities for its
protection .” CODA reports that since they first
signed the agreement in 2014, and in the five subsequent renewals, they have
achieved “great results, including the implementation of numerous anti-piracy
measures in the Asia-Pacific and beyond, which has resulted in dozens of
thousands of operatives.”
According to the official site, in cooperation
with the MPA and local law enforcement agencies in countries such as China,
Hong Kong and Taiwan, they have tried more than 17,000 cases, seizing 6,992,467
storage drives and 16,159 data files, which has led to 3,812 arrests. The
report highlights that since Disney's sales are 16 times higher than those of
major CODA members such as Toei, TOHO, Shochiku and KADOKAWA combined, the MPA's
collaboration becomes indispensable.
The full list of CODA members includes names
familiar to anime/manga fans, such as Aniplex, Sony Music Entertainment (Japan)
Inc., Kodansha, Shueisha, Toei Animation, Bandai Co., Ltd., among others. MPA
members include major Hollywood studios such as Netflix, Disney, Paramount,
Sony Pictures, Universal and Warner Bros.
Recent efforts by CODA, the MPA, and Chinese law
enforcement have seen unprecedented success with the first conviction in Japan
of a foreign operator of an anime piracy site. The
renewal of CODA and the MPA is especially important considering that almost
half of the revenue generated by the Japanese anime industry comes from abroad,
according to the Anime Industry Report 2023.
Additionally, MUSO statistics reveal that eight of the ten
most pirated television series in the world are anime, including titles such as
“Jujutsu Kaisen,” “My Hero Academia,” and “Vinland Saga.” Fighting
copyright infringement remains a challenge, with CODA highlighting how easy it
is to evade detection. This was seen last month when the world's
largest anime piracy site was shut down, reportedly due to a court order in
India, before quickly moving to a new site.
The prevalence of torrent sites and piracy
distribution methods means that once something is leaked, it becomes impossible
to suppress, as seen with the leaks of several Spring-2024 (March-June)
Crunchyroll anime. In some regions, fans face difficulties
legally accessing certain series due to license restrictions or licenses that
have expired in the region. This opens a debate about the validity of piracy,
but everything falls apart for those who support it when it is pointed out that
“anime is not a basic need.”
Source: TorrentFreak
