Record penalty for Mangamura: $11 million for manga piracy

A Tokyo court recently issued an unprecedented financial sanction against Mangamura, a popular platform for illegally streaming manga and anime. Japan’s three major publishing houses, Shogakukan, Kadokawa and Shueisha, were awarded compensation of 1.7 billion yen, approximately US$11 million, following their complaint.

Firm position of Japanese publishers

Launched in February 2016, Mangamura enjoyed tremendous success until its closure in April 2018, accumulating more than 537 million visits and 70,000 volumes of manga available. The total amount of damage caused by this platform was estimated at 320 billion yen. Faced with this situation, publishers have affirmed their determination to protect their works and to fight against all forms of piracy by taking the necessary measures.

Mangamura’s operator, who was previously sentenced to three years in prison in 2021, expressed disappointment with the judgment, saying he had no funds to pay compensation and was considering requesting a retrial.

Reduction of piracy in Japan and international reactions

As Japan sees a significant decline in domestic piracy, continued efforts are being made in partnership with international organizations to combat this scourge. CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association) recently strengthened its collaboration with MPA (Motion Picture Association) to develop new strategies and strengthen actions against copyright infringement on a global scale.

International manga and anime piracy

Despite the reduction in piracy in Japan, the situation remains worrying internationally. Indeed, certain anime series are among the most pirated worldwide, with the United States at the top of the list of infringing countries. Japan has also taken legal action against overseas manga piracy sites, highlighting the challenges posed by locating the servers of these illegal platforms.