Next April, a new anti-piracy group operated by Japan Overseas content distribution association will crack down on anime and manga piracy, according to a report Nikkei Asia.
Illegal streaming and torrents are a huge hit for the manga industry. Nikkei reports that between January and October 2021, piracy cost the Japanese manga industry 800 billion yen, the equivalent of $ 6.95 billion. Worldwide, statista.com estimates that piracy costs TV and movie providers as much as $ 52 billion.
Illegal streaming and torrent activity are particularly prevalent in Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, for example, 60 percent of consumers access illegal sites according to the Asian Video Industry Association.
Introducing the International Anti-Piracy Organization - A coalition of 32 Japanese companies will work closely with the Motion Picture Association of the USA and the Copyright Society of China. In total, copyright protection groups in thirteen countries will participate. International cooperation is vital, as websites that carry pirated content often use offshore servers.
Fighting torrenting is particularly difficult because not all governments consider copyright a priority. In a statement to Torrentfreak, a representative shared that IAPO will urge small governments to take a stand against illegal streaming and torrenting and provide local authorities with information about rogue servers to help them remove unauthorized content.
IAPO is not the only group fighting piracy.The Alliance for creativity and entertainment is an anti-piracy coalition made up of thirty leading entertainment companies. Formed in 2017, its members include Amazon, AMC, BBC, HBO, Hulu, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Entertainment, and more.
