nHentai, arguably the world’s largest free adult manga site has suddenly shut down today after being sued by a U.S. company for copyright infringement.
nHentai, one of the world’s largest adult manga sites, is facing serious legal trouble after being sued for copyright infringement by U.S.-based PCR Distributing. With a monthly traffic of 79.4 million visits, nHentai is under fire for allegedly distributing pirated content. PCR Distributing, a company involved in the distribution of adult games and hentai art since 1998, claims that it owns and distributes premium hentai content from Asia to the U.S. market. Their lawsuit includes four charges: copyright infringement, vicarious copyright infringement, contributory copyright infringement, and inducement of copyright infringement.
Update: It seems the site is up again everywhere except in North America.
PCR is seeking a jury trial and aims to hold nHentai accountable, arguing that the site cannot be seen as merely a “conduit” for illegal content since it does not allow users to upload material themselves. If PCR’s case is successful, nHentai could be forced to pay damages and might lose its domain. PCR is also asking for major internet services, including Google and ISPs, to block nHentai in the U.S. This legal battle intensified after PCR’s attempts to uncover the identities behind nHentai were stalled, and a private settlement offer from the site was rejected by PCR.
Major Anime/Manga Piracy Websites Taken Down in 2024
2024 has been a significant year in the fight against anime, manga, and webtoon piracy. The copyright infringement lawsuit against nHentai and other legal actions are part of a broader effort to combat piracy. In late August, WEBTOON took a major step by filing a subpoena request to uncover the identities of those running over 170 piracy sites (which collectively receive 100 million monthly visits). Meanwhile, Japan and Korea, the primary sources of pirated manga, teamed up on an international operation that successfully shut down 16 piracy sites in Brazil, which also attracted 100 million monthly visits.
While international efforts have been crucial, Japan achieved significant victories domestically. Earlier this year, authorities secured financial penalties from Mangamura, once the largest manga piracy site in Japan. Korea also saw success when the operator of Ajitun, a major web novel piracy site, was arrested following a police raid last week. This crackdown marked a significant blow to Korea’s worst offender in this medium, underlining the ongoing global effort to curb digital piracy.
In Closing
The crackdown on piracy in 2024 could have a big impact on the manga industry. On the positive side, reducing piracy might help creators and publishers earn more from their work, which could lead to better content and more variety for fans. But there are also downsides. Many manga titles don’t have an official English translation or aren’t available globally, and the ones that do are often poorly translated. Fans in regions where manga is hard to access might lose out, which could limit the global reach of manga and make it harder for new readers to get into it. Balancing the need to protect creators’ rights with ensuring fans have access to manga will be key for the industry’s future.
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