Through a search of the suspect’s home conducted on October 15, 2024, and subsequent interrogations, authorities discovered that since 2022, the man had been operating the pirated website “ZzzFun” and its app without authorization from rights holders, distributing a large volume of Japanese anime and other content. He also used the website to direct users to the app. Furthermore, he had illegally uploaded approximately 1,800 episodes of Japanese anime to both the website and the app without permission from the rights holders. It was also confirmed that, through the operation of “ZzzFun,” the suspect had illicitly earned approximately 330,000 yuan (about 7 million yen, as of February 2025) in advertising revenue before his arrest.

This case was initiated after CODA’s Beijing office filed a criminal complaint with the Public Security Bureau on behalf of Japanese rights holders in May 2024. The request to pursue criminal action was made by a total of 13 companies: Aniplex Inc., KADOKAWA CORPORATION, King Record Co., Ltd., KODANSHA LTD., SHOGAKUKAN Inc., SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD., TV TOKYO Corporation, TOEI ANIMATION CO., LTD., TOHO CO., LTD., NIKKATSU CORPORATION, Happinet Phantom Studios Co., Ltd., Fuji Television Network, Inc., PONY CANYON INC.
For the criminal complaint, each rights holder cooperated by using CODA’s Rights Inquiry Database*, which has been in operation since March 2023, to verify the damages caused by “ZzzFun” and support the legal proceedings.

In recent years, online piracy cases that target local audiences in foreign countries rather than Japanese users—so-called “overseas-originated and overseas-targeted” piracy—have been increasingly recognized as a growing issue. Japan’s Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters has identified this issue as an urgent priority in its “Intellectual Property Promotion Plan 2024”, emphasizing the importance of addressing it.
Thanks to the swift investigation by the Hebei Public Security Bureau, the operator was quickly identified and subsequently arrested. CODA, in cooperation with its member companies that have suffered damages, will continue to closely monitor the case, including developments in further investigations and the criminal trial, and will seek strict criminal punishment for the suspect.

*The CODA Rights Inquiry Database is a system designed to enable accurate and rapid responses to investigation requests from the Chinese Public Security Bureau and other authorities by confirming whether CODA member content has been infringed in China, as well as checking ownership and authorization status of the content.

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About CODA
CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association) was established in 2002 at the call of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Agency for Cultural Affairs to promote the overseas development of Japanese content and take anti-piracy measures. Japan’s proud content, including music, movies, anime, broadcast programs, video games, and publishing, plays an important role in enhancing the nation’s international presence and economic growth. As digital technology becomes more widespread, it is even more significant to protect Japan’s content from increasingly artful copyright infringement and promote the content industry’s development. CODA contributes to the deterrence and detection of online and other piracy, by sharing knowledge with relevant government agencies, organizations, and companies in Japan and abroad, to engage in direct and indirect anti-piracy measures, as well as public relations activities. Visit https://coda-protection.com/en/activity/ for more information on CODA’s projects.

The post Operator of Pirated Japanese Anime Site & App “ZzzFun” Arrested in China – First Criminal Crackdown in Hebei Province first appeared on Content Overseas Distribution Association（CODA）.

CODA employs four countermeasures against piracy websites as part of its joint enforcement efforts: criminal prosecution, civil lawsuits, administrative penalties (applicable to countries such as China and Vietnam), and knock-and-talk (direct negotiation). Depending on the circumstances of each case, CODA selects the most appropriate measure. In cases where criminal prosecution in the operator’s residing country may take time, knock-and-talk is chosen as a practical solution after a comprehensive consideration of factors such as the scale of damages and the urgency of the situation. The knock-and-talk approach was deemed the most appropriate and effective measure for resolving this case.

The recent knock-and-talk operation in Brazil was conducted with the approval of three companies: Toei Animation Co., Ltd., Toho Co., Ltd., and Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc.
The website confirmed to be closed was rine.cloud, ranked as the seventh most accessed Japanese anime piracy site in Brazil. Similar to many other piracy websites targeted by CODA’s countermeasures in Brazil, this site operated as an “overseas-originated and overseas-targeted” piracy platform for Japanese content. It implemented geo-blocking to prevent access from Japanese IP addresses, making it difficult for Japanese rights holders to detect copyright violations. The site also provided Portuguese subtitles for Japanese anime, targeting Brazilian audiences and generating unlawful advertising revenue.
The website’s monthly average number of visits over the past three months (September–November 2024) reached approximately 2.74 million (※). CODA has also obtained voluntary submission (transfer) of the site’s domain. Currently, access to the site is redirected to a page managed by CODA, notifying users of its closure.

CODA emphasizes the importance of fostering a global mindset of “not using piracy websites” to prevent copyright infringement activities from being further encouraged by advertising revenue, even overseas. The act of infringing on content created through the time, effort, and resources of creators to generate unjust advertising income is highly malicious and cannot be tolerated.
CODA will continue to ensure the proper protection of copyrights and implement effective countermeasures against piracy websites. This activity was conducted as part of a project commissioned by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry.

※: Data source: SimilarWeb

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About CODA
CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association) was established in 2002 at the call of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Agency for Cultural Affairs to promote the overseas development of Japanese content and take anti-piracy measures. Japan’s proud content, including music, movies, anime, broadcast programs, video games, and publishing, plays an important role in enhancing the nation’s international presence and economic growth. As digital technology becomes more widespread, it is even more significant to protect Japan’s content from increasingly artful copyright infringement and promote the content industry’s development. CODA contributes to the deterrence and detection of online and other piracy, by sharing knowledge with relevant government agencies, organizations, and companies in Japan and abroad, to engage in direct and indirect anti-piracy measures, as well as public relations activities. Visit https://coda-protection.com/en/activity/ for more information on CODA’s projects.

The post Closure of Japanese Anime Piracy Website in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil first appeared on Content Overseas Distribution Association（CODA）.

This knock-and-talk initiative in Brazil was carried out by CODA based on the directives of three companies: TOEI ANIMATION CO., LTD., TOHO CO., LTD., and Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc.
Among the websites confirmed to be closed is bakashi.tv, the third most accessed pirated Japanese anime website in Brazil, along with 14 affiliated websites.
The average monthly traffic of these 15 sites over the past three months (August–October 2024) was approximately 7.95 million visits (*). CODA successfully obtained voluntary domain submissions (transfers) for all 15 websites. Currently, access to these websites is either redirected to a page created by CODA notifying of their closure or completely restricted.

In recent years, the rampant proliferation of pirated Japanese content websites has become a significant issue in Latin America. In this context, countermeasures against these pirated sites are indispensable for legitimate businesses to establish a healthy market for the distribution of official products.

Fans of Japanese content, including manga and anime, worldwide are encouraged to enjoy content legitimately. This not only ensures the healthy functioning of the Japanese content ecosystem but also supports its further evolution and development. To this end, CODA remains committed to implementing effective measures for proper copyright protection, aiming to create a sustainable market where official content can reach fans internationally.

This activity was carried out as part of a project commissioned by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

(*) Data reference: SimilarWeb

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About CODA
CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association) was established in 2002 at the call of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Agency for Cultural Affairs to promote the overseas development of Japanese content and take anti-piracy measures. Japan’s proud content, including music, movies, anime, broadcast programs, video games, and publishing, plays an important role in enhancing the nation’s international presence and economic growth. As digital technology becomes more widespread, it is even more significant to protect Japan’s content from increasingly artful copyright infringement and promote the content industry’s development. CODA contributes to the deterrence and detection of online and other piracy, by sharing knowledge with relevant government agencies, organizations, and companies in Japan and abroad, to engage in direct and indirect anti-piracy measures, as well as public relations activities. Visit https://coda-protection.com/en/activity/ for more information on CODA’s projects.

The post Closure of 15 Pirated Japanese Anime Websites Through Knock-and-Talk in Brazil first appeared on Content Overseas Distribution Association（CODA）.

During the raids, authorities seized 53 articles related to illegal apps, 25 types of illegal apps, two USB drives, one iPad, one mobile phone, one memory card, and electronic records related to violations of the Copyright Act. These records included lists of posted articles and WeChat screenshots.

According to the investigation, these apps disguised themselves as legitimate, unrelated applications to pass Apple’s App Store review process. However, they were programmed to switch into apps that could stream pirated content when users entered specific keywords or commands. The suspects posted articles on their websites directing users to download these apps. They also promoted the websites through two well-known influencers, each with over 400,000 followers, to attract significant traffic and generate advertising revenue.

The total number of views for the articles published exceeded 550,000. Among the illegal apps were hundreds of unauthorized films, TV dramas, anime, variety shows, and documentaries. The damages are estimated to exceed 600 million New Taiwan Dollars (approximately 2.8 billion yen as of December 3).

In response to this case, the police have urged the public to use verified and safe services and refrain from participating in activities that violate copyright laws.
This operation was conducted as part of a project commissioned by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry.

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About CODA
CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association) was established in 2002 at the call of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Agency for Cultural Affairs to promote the overseas development of Japanese content and take anti-piracy measures. Japan’s proud content, including music, movies, anime, broadcast programs, video games, and publishing, plays an important role in enhancing the nation’s international presence and economic growth. As digital technology becomes more widespread, it is even more significant to protect Japan’s content from increasingly artful copyright infringement and promote the content industry’s development. CODA contributes to the deterrence and detection of online and other piracy, by sharing knowledge with relevant government agencies, organizations, and companies in Japan and abroad, to engage in direct and indirect anti-piracy measures, as well as public relations activities. Visit https://coda-protection.com/en/activity/ for more information on CODA’s projects.

The post Taiwan: New Approach Leads to Criminal Crackdown on Illegal Apps, Three Operators Arrested first appeared on Content Overseas Distribution Association（CODA）.

Between January 2023 and February 2024, the suspects transcribed detailed descriptions of storylines, including character names, dialogue, actions, settings, and scene developments, from copyrighted works without permission from rights holders, such as TOHO CO., LTD.’s film Godzilla-1.0 and KADOKAWA CORPORATION’s anime Overlord III. They published these transcriptions alongside related images on their site, earning illegal advertising revenue.

This case came to light after an investigation by the Miyagi Prefectural Police, during which CODA compiled and submitted information on affected rights holders, leading to this crackdown. The police investigation revealed that the business owner and an employee conspired to engage in organized copyright infringement, running the site for profit and attracting significant traffic.

Many sites that extract text from movies and other media have been identified in the past, often viewed as “spoiler sites” and recognized as problematic. Although these sites may appear to be a milder form of infringement than piracy sites or unauthorized uploads of the original content, the scope of these activities exceeds fair use and constitutes clear copyright infringement—a serious offense.

The primary issue with text extraction sites for movies and other works is that they reduce consumers’ willingness to pay for legitimate content, discouraging viewership of official releases and inflicting significant harm on rights holders. The unlawful gain of advertising revenue through the exploitation of content that creators have invested time, effort, and resources into is an especially egregious act and cannot be tolerated.

Moving forward, CODA will closely monitor the details of this case as they are revealed through further investigation and criminal trials. CODA remains committed to ensuring proper copyright protection and implementing effective countermeasures against similar sites.

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About CODA
CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association) was established in 2002 at the call of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Agency for Cultural Affairs to promote the overseas development of Japanese content and take anti-piracy measures. Japan’s proud content, including music, movies, anime, broadcast programs, video games, and publishing, plays an important role in enhancing the nation’s international presence and economic growth. As digital technology becomes more widespread, it is even more significant to protect Japan’s content from increasingly artful copyright infringement and promote the content industry’s development. CODA contributes to the deterrence and detection of online and other piracy, by sharing knowledge with relevant government agencies, organizations, and companies in Japan and abroad, to engage in direct and indirect anti-piracy measures, as well as public relations activities. Visit https://coda-protection.com/en/activity/ for more information on CODA’s projects.

The post First Arrest for Operation of Text Extraction Site from Movies and Other Works first appeared on Content Overseas Distribution Association（CODA）.

Regarding so-called leak accounts that obtain and post anime on social media prior to television broadcast or online distribution, Aniplex Inc. and Toho Co., Ltd., both members of CODA, filed a petition for disclosure of information in a U.S. court in June 2024. On August 20, the court issued a disclosure order, and on August 30, the service procedure was initiated.

Several accounts, reported by CODA member companies, posted videos and still images, which were not supposed to be publicly accessible before the broadcast or distribution of the anime ‘ Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba,’ copyrighted by Aniplex Inc. and others, and ‘Jujutsu Kaisen,’ copyrighted by Toho Co., Ltd. and others, on the social media platform ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) without the consent of the rights holders. These posts were widely disseminated and accumulated a large number of views.
CODA, after being consulted, cooperated in this request for disclosure by collecting information and evidence regarding these accounts.
Notably, this case is the first instance of obtaining a court order for the disclosure of the information in relation to leaks concerning Japanese anime in a U.S. court.

CODA has also received consultations regarding similar damages involving other anime and is currently gathering further information and evidence. CODA will continue to work in coordination with the affected rights holders and respond appropriately based on the information disclosed about the account holders, seeking strict penalties against such leak accounts.

(translated by automatic translation system)

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
About CODA
CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association) was established in 2002 at the call of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Agency for Cultural Affairs to promote the overseas development of Japanese content and take anti-piracy measures. Japan’s proud content, including music, movies, anime, broadcast programs, video games, and publishing, plays an important role in enhancing the nation’s international presence and economic growth. As digital technology becomes more widespread, it is even more significant to protect Japan’s content from increasingly artful copyright infringement and promote the content industry’s development. CODA contributes to the deterrence and detection of online and other piracy, by sharing knowledge with relevant government agencies, organizations, and companies in Japan and abroad, to engage in direct and indirect anti-piracy measures, as well as public relations activities. Visit https://coda-protection.com/en/activity/ for more information on CODA’s projects.

The post Regarding leak accounts for the anime ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba’ and ‘Jujutsu Kaisen,’ a U.S. court has issued an order to disclose the information of the account holders. first appeared on Content Overseas Distribution Association（CODA）.

The recent crackdown is part of “Operation 404(*2),” a public-private partnership initiative that the Brazilian government has been continuously implementing since 2019, achieving significant results in combating piracy sites. Within this initiative, it was specifically carried out as “Operation Animes(*3)” Phase 2, focusing on cracking down on Japanese anime piracy. Phase 1 of the operation was conducted from February to March 2023, resulting in the shutdown of 36 Japanese anime piracy sites.

Regarding “Operation Anime 2”, in September 2023, three companies—Toei Animation Co., Ltd., Toho Co., Ltd., and Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc.—filed criminal complaints through CODA against multiple piracy websites infringing Japanese anime in Brazil. As a result, a total of three sites were shut down, including two sites and one related site. Investigations are still ongoing for these three sites as well as one additional site. Additionally, based on information uncovered during preliminary investigations, knock-and-talk operations were conducted starting in March 2024 against multiple site operators. As a result, three sites—animeshouse.net, animesbr.cc, and meuanime.io—along with ten related sites, totaling thirteen sites, were shut down. Ultimately, a total of 16 piracy sites were shut down as a result of CODA’s involvement.

16 sites had an average monthly traffic of approximately 21 million visits (*4). As a result of the operation, seven of the top 20 anime infringement sites in Brazil during that period were closed.
Additionally, out of the 16 domains, 11 have already been voluntarily submitted (transferred) through negotiations. Currently, access to these sites is automatically redirected to a closure notification page established by CODA. Negotiations will continue to acquire the remaining sites as well.

In “Operation Anime 2,” CODA has collaborated with the Copyright Overseas promotion Association(COA) of South Korea as part of an international partnership aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of infringement measures(*5). This operation targeted a total of eight sites, including the three sites exposed through criminal complaints by CODA member companies and five webtoon infringement sites reported by COA. The investigation was conducted through the Cyber Operations Laboratory (Ciberlab) of Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP), with coordination from Directorate of Integrated Operations and Intelligence (Diopi).

In the Latin American region, where the proliferation of Japanese content piracy sites, including the 16 sites shut down in this operation, is a significant concern, it is essential for legitimate Japanese content providers to implement measures against these piracy sites to establish a healthy market for the distribution of genuine products.
CODA will continue to work closely with local enforcement agencies and other partners to implement effective measures for content protection and the promotion of legitimate distribution abroad.
We also want fans of Japanese content to understand that viewing piracy sites or illegally uploaded videos harms the creators and rights holders who produce these works, and disrupts the content creation cycle. We hope that many fans recognize that enjoying content through legitimate means helps manga and anime continue to evolve. To achieve this, we are committed to actively promoting the creation of a healthy market abroad where legitimate content reaches fans, and we will continue to advance our efforts in this direction.

This activity was part of a project entrusted from the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry.

(translated by automatic translation system)

*1: criminal referral; A request to the local police to investigate a suspect because of a suspected crime.
*2: The public-private partnership anti-piracy operation in Brazil that began in 2019 has been named “Operation 404” by the MJSP after the “404 error (page not found),” and has so far resulted in the blocking of 2,580 sites, the removal of 747 illegal apps, and 152 raids in 20 states.
*3: News Release on “Operation Animes” by the MJSP. (Published April 26, 2024)
https://www.gov.br/mj/pt-br/assuntos/noticias/segunda-fase-da-operacao-animes-contra-pirataria-e-realizada
*4: January 2023 – March 2023 by SimilarWeb data.　
*5: Reference; Intellectual property protection association, COA of Korea and Ltahub of Brazil visited CODA.
https://coda-protection.com/en/news/348

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About CODA
CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association) was established in 2002 at the call of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Agency for Cultural Affairs to promote the overseas development of Japanese content and take anti-piracy measures. Japan’s proud content, including music, movies, anime, broadcast programs, video games, and publishing, plays an important role in enhancing the nation’s international presence and economic growth. As digital technology becomes more widespread, it is even more significant to protect Japan’s content from increasingly artful copyright infringement and promote the content industry’s development. CODA contributes to the deterrence and detection of online and other piracy, by sharing knowledge with relevant government agencies, organizations, and companies in Japan and abroad, to engage in direct and indirect anti-piracy measures, as well as public relations activities. Visit https://coda-protection.com/en/activity/ for more information on CODA’s projects.

The post 16 Japanese anime piracy sites were shut down due to Brazil’s “Operation Anime 2 ” and its associated measures first appeared on Content Overseas Distribution Association（CODA）.

During the search of the locations related to “晴天TV” at the time of the arrests, a total of 269 items were seized, including 72 ISDs, 72 decoders, 2 servers, and 2 computers. The investigation revealed that “晴天TV” had been in operation for two years, with over 1,000 units already sold, and the estimated damages exceed 1 billion Taiwan dollars (approximately 4.5 billion yen as of August 9). In response to this incident, the police are once again warning that using illegal TV viewing apps and ISDs not only supports the infringement activities of illegal operators but also harms the rights holders and can lead to the risk of personal information leaks.

CODA has been cooperating with the Telecommunications Investigation Corp under the command of the CIB in investigating internet crimes in Taiwan related to Japanese content, including ISDs, illegal apps, and infringing websites, leading to the criminal crackdown on numerous infringement cases. CODA will continue to work closely with local investigative agencies to protect Japanese content in Taiwan.

This activity was part of a project entrusted from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

(translated by automatic translation system)

■About the CODA project “Joint Enforcement”
　https://coda-protection.com/en/activity/enforcement/

■Reference release：The Criminal Investigation Bureau in Taiwan and IFACT-GC, a Greater China intellectual property protection organization, visits CODA
https://coda-protection.com/en/news/334/
■Reference release：Presentation of a plaque of appreciation to the Criminal Investigation Bureau and IPR police in Taiwan
https://coda-protection.com/en/news/274/

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About CODA
CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association) was established in 2002 at the call of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Agency for Cultural Affairs to promote the overseas development of Japanese content and take anti-piracy measures. Japan’s proud content, including music, movies, anime, broadcast programs, video games, and publishing, plays an important role in enhancing the nation’s international presence and economic growth. As digital technology becomes more widespread, it is even more significant to protect Japan’s content from increasingly artful copyright infringement and promote the content industry’s development. CODA contributes to the deterrence and detection of online and other piracy, by sharing knowledge with relevant government agencies, organizations, and companies in Japan and abroad, to engage in direct and indirect anti-piracy measures, as well as public relations activities. Visit https://coda-protection.com/en/activity/ for more information on CODA’s projects.

The post Taiwan: Criminal Crackdown on Illegal TV Viewing App “晴天TV” and  Illicit Streaming Devices; Two Operators Arrested first appeared on Content Overseas Distribution Association（CODA）.

In the first case, on January 8, 2024, the Public Security Bureau of Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province, China, dispatched 54 agents and other personnel to Chongqing, Jiangsu, Shandong, Shanghai, Hebei, and Anhui Provinces to conduct simultaneous raids against several suspects in various locations. The raid revealed the establishment and operation of “SHEN LAN,” a subscription-like websites that duplicates large amounts of Japanese content, primarily anime, without the rights holders’ permission, uploads it to a personal media server, a legal service, and allows streaming playback from a variety of devices. As a result of the investigation, a total of 10 people were arrested on suspicion of copyright infringement, including the main offender, a 36-year-old male resident of Chongqing City, A, who operated “SHEN LAN” and sold account information for accessing “SHEN LAN” from the website and application through a website he operated.
In addition, 9 laptops, 2 desktop computers, 2 servers, 11 cell phones, and multiple storage devices were seized during the raid, and all data on the servers were preserved as evidence after obtaining the management accounts and passwords for “SHEN LAN”.
Another suspect was arrested in Hubei Province on January 24, bringing the total number of those arrested for their alleged involvement in the operation of “SHEN LAN” to 11.

According to the investigation by the Public Security Bureau, “SHEN LAN” can stream more than 10,000 movies, animations, TV dramas, documentaries, concerts, and other contents from Japan, the U.S., the U.K., France, and other countries, and for anime works, which were the most frequently infringed Japanese contents, it has been confirmed that As of December 2023, 1,008 works (21,981 episodes) have been confirmed to be available.
“SHEN LAN” was established in January 2021 by Male A, who then conspired with men and women he met on the Internet to divide the roles of technology, maintenance, uploading, account sales, and customer service, and operated the site until his arrest in January 2024. Account information was sold for between 98 yuan (approximately 1,960 yen) and 1,068 yuan (approximately 21,360 yen) per sign-in, depending on the length of term available for viewing, picture quality, etc. The revenue unjustly obtained through the operation of “SHEN LAN” was found to be worth 5 million yuan (approximately 109 million yen).

In the second case, on June 5, 2024, based on the testimony of “SHEN LAN” suspect Male A, the Public Security Bureau of Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China, dispatched 11 investigators and cybersecurity experts to the homes and workplaces of the suspect brothers in the second case to search their homes. A raid revealed that unlicensed subscription-like websites “COCO” was established and operated by the same method as “SHEN LAN” by copying a large amount of Japanese content such as movies and TV dramas, mainly anime, without permission of the rights holders. As a result of the investigation, two brothers, male B (44) and male C (46), both residents of Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, were arrested on suspicion of copyright infringement for operating “COCO” and selling account information to access “COCO” from their own website or another e-commerce site. The sale of the accounts also followed the same modus operandi as that of “SHEN LAN”.
During the raid, PCs, server equipment, etc. were seized, and all data on the server was preserved as evidence by obtaining “COCO” management accounts and passwords.

An investigation by the Public Security Bureau revealed that more than 100,000 episodes of content were available for streaming playback on “COCO,” and that in terms of Japanese content, approximately 20,000 episodes of anime and other movies and TV dramas were posted on the site. COCO was established in May 2021 by Male B, who was responsible for the main operation and maintenance of the site, and in December 2023 he brought his brother, Male C, on board, who operated the site until his arrest in June 2024. The unjustified income from the operation of “COCO” was found to be more than 4 million yuan (approx. 86.7 million yen).

The prompt investigation by the public security bureaus of Taizhou and Yangzhou resulted in the identification of the operator and the arrest of the suspect in a short period of time.　
CODA will respond in cooperation with the affected right holders, CODA member companies. We will also actively cooperate with the Public Security Bureau in future investigations, under the leadership of CODA’s Beijing Office. We will also closely monitor the details of the case that will be revealed in the criminal trial after the indictment and seek severe criminal penalties.

(translated by automatic translation system.)

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
About CODA
CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association) was established in 2002 at the call of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Agency for Cultural Affairs to promote the overseas development of Japanese content and take anti-piracy measures. Japan’s proud content, including music, movies, anime, broadcast programs, video games, and publishing, plays an important role in enhancing the nation’s international presence and economic growth. As digital technology becomes more widespread, it is even more significant to protect Japan’s content from increasingly artful copyright infringement and promote the content industry’s development. CODA contributes to the deterrence and detection of online and other piracy, by sharing knowledge with relevant government agencies, organizations, and companies in Japan and abroad, to engage in direct and indirect anti-piracy measures, as well as public relations activities. Visit https://coda-protection.com/en/activity/ for more information on CODA’s projects.

The post Operators of unlicensed subscription-like websites criminally exposed in China for the first time. A total of 13 people, including the operators of the two cases, were arrested one after the other. first appeared on Content Overseas Distribution Association（CODA）.

“Sora” was a dictionary site that attracted a large number of hits, allowing users to enter Japanese words into a search box and have the meaning and usage of the word displayed, based on the contents of a huge number of Japanese dictionaries that the site had accumulated without permission from the various rights holders. There were 37 Japanese dictionaries available for “Sora”. In addition, a part of “Sora” was geo-blocked (regional viewing restrictions) so that it could not be accessed from within China, and was operated under the guise of “no actual infringement” in China, targeting Japanese people.

As a result of an information disclosure request to “Sora” by the rights holder, a member company, it was revealed that the person believed to be the operator resides in China. Based on this information, CODA was consulted, and in early March 2024, CODA’s Beijing office submitted a complaint to the Public Security Bureau of Nanjing City, where the man resides. In March, the Public Security Bureau began interviewing the man and subsequently warned him to shut down the site, claiming that his actions constituted copyright infringement. During interviewing, the man repeatedly denied operating the site, but after multiple warnings and guidance by police officers, it was confirmed that the site was shut down on April 25th.

CODA will continue to strive for proper protection of copyrights and will continue to take effective measures on similar sites.

(translated by automatic translation system.)

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
About CODA
CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association) was established in 2002 at the call of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Agency for Cultural Affairs to promote the overseas development of Japanese content and take anti-piracy measures. Japan’s proud content, including music, movies, anime, broadcast programs, video games, and publishing, plays an important role in enhancing the nation’s international presence and economic growth. As digital technology becomes more widespread, it is even more significant to protect Japan’s content from increasingly artful copyright infringement and promote the content industry’s development. CODA contributes to the deterrence and detection of online and other piracy, by sharing knowledge with relevant government agencies, organizations, and companies in Japan and abroad, to engage in direct and indirect anti-piracy measures, as well as public relations activities. Visit https://coda-protection.com/en/activity/ for more information on CODA’s projects.

The post “Sora”, a Chinese website offering unlicensed dictionary data services, has shut down. first appeared on Content Overseas Distribution Association（CODA）.