Copyright protection organizations and companies from at least ten nations are working together to tackle pirated manga and anime.
April will mark the beginning of the International Anti-Piracy Organization (IAPO) that will communicate the information they’ve learned regarding the distribution of illegal content. The group will support criminal investigations related to piracy.
IAPO will be managed by Japan’s Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA) with 32 members. The companies that will represent IAPO in Japan will include big shot names such as Studio Ghibli, Kadokawa, Toei, and much more.
IAPO’s team will also include Hollywood production companies such as the Motion Picture Association and even Netflix! Japan’s not the only asian country who’s mad about their content being pirated as Copyright Society Of China as well as the Korea Copyright Protection Agency are also in talks of forming similar organizations with other Asian countries.
The piracy of manga and animation has been around since the middle of the 20th Century. But the growth internet, combined with the rising appeal of anime and manga across the world, has made the industry flourish worldwide.
In an announcement, CODA notes that the rapid growth of technology for the internet and digital, such as 5G, and increasing demand for content within the pandemic has exacerbated the issue of online pirates. Servers tend to be located outside Japan. Coordinating actions against copyright infringements across borders can be complex.
IAPO hopes to streamline this process. In addition to setting up multilateral hotlines, it will also organize periodic symposiums and seminars and help raise awareness of piracy.
As per Nikkei Asia, piracy in Japan cost manga publishers in the region of 800 billion dollars (USD 6.95 billion) between January and October in 2021, more than the total market for legal-issued publications estimated at 600 billion yen each year. The damages to those in the U.S. are estimated to be more than one trillion yen each year.
In 2020, the Japanese government updated the law on copyright to provide punishments to those who download illegal manga and other media.
Source: Cartoonbrew
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