Several operators of anime and webtoon piracy websites were recently arrested as part of a joint operation between Brazilian law enforcement and Japanese and Korean anti-piracy agencies.

The Brazilian Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP) reported on April 25, 2024 that it had implemented the second phase of Operation Animes, designed to “suppress crimes against intellectual property rights.” on the Internet, especially regarding Japanese diversity.” and Korean cartoons are respectively called 'Animes' [sic] and ‘Webtoon.’” This phase involved the execution of 11 search and seizure warrants, resulting in two websites being “blocked and/or suspended, in addition to having content de-indexed from public indexes.” search engine.”

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Operation Animes is coordinated by MJSP's Directorate of Integrated Operations and Intelligence (DIOPI), in partnership with Japan's anti-piracy unit CODA and South Korea's equivalent COA. The report added that if convicted, those arrested could be charged with additional crime-related offenses and money laundering, and would face a minimum sentence of 2-4 years in prison, fined and charged with additional crimes.

Japan and South Korea have been extremely active in recent Anime, Manga and Webtoon anti-piracy efforts

Both Japan and South Korea have been very active in cracking down on piracy, domestically and internationally. Kakao Entertainment's aggressive approach to the popular Tachiyomi reading platform forced the owner to completely end development of the site. The company also coordinated with the police to arrest the operators of a novel and manhwa website last year.

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Japan recently took an important step in the fight against overseas piracy, leading the prosecution of an overseas anime piracy website for the first time in history. Japan's CODA has also renewed agreements with Netflix and several major Motion Picture Association of America (MPA) studios to coordinate their response to the increasingly difficult to ignore problem of piracy. While domestic piracy has dropped by two-thirds from 2021 to 2023, with Japan's efforts once again demonstrated by the successful prosecution of the largest manga piracy website ever In Japan, recent statistics show that this situation is only increasing worldwide. Data analytics firm MUSO revealed that, in addition to the United States being the world's worst comic book piracy country, overall piracy increased by 6.7% in 2023 compared to 2020. 2022.

Source: Brazilian Ministry of Justice and Public Security