Japan-based publisher Shueisha is cracking down on websites distributing large amounts of pirated manga content. A DMCA subpoena issued by a U.S. court lists around two dozen targets.
While some of these sites have relatively low traffic, many attract millions of visits each month. Notably, one prominent platform is currently ranked as the 14th most popular site in Vietnam overall, the website called Truyenqqvn garners around 43 million views on a monthly basis.
Upon accessing the link, you will encounter the following message:
Any digitized content is inherently susceptible to being copied and shared. The extent and rapidity of this process are primarily influenced by two factors: the ease with which the content can be accessed, duplicated, and distributed, and the popularity of the content among consumers.
Since only a small percentage of Japanese manga is officially marketed overseas, and those that are distributed often face the risk of progressive and Westernized localizations, many fans choose to read pirated manga, which are translated more accurately by dedicated fan groups.
Pirated: Right
Japanese-produced anime has gained significant international popularity. Enthusiastic fans often continue their favorite series through its original manga or light novels, or they explore a wealth of new titles to discover and enjoy.
This is exactly what Orange Inc., a Japanese startup utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning, aims to address. They plan to release a vast array of digitally commercialized manga, offering translations that are more accurate than those done by localizers with specific agendas. Additionally, their approach promises to be more cost-effective and quicker. Orange Inc. claims they will be able to translate around 500 volumes of manga per month.
This initiative aims to be a game-changer for Japanese mangakas, coupled with Orange’s own emaqi storefront, a digital manga store in the US featuring titles they have localized.
There is a significant misconception about piracy, with debates on whether it constitutes theft being a separate issue. People opt to pirate content for various reasons. One common reason is financial constraint, as seen in third-world countries like Vietnam. Another reason is the unavailability of certain content for legal purchase or viewing in their country.
Orange Inc. asserts that only about 2% of Japan’s manga output is translated and commercialized in English each year. For international fans who don’t speak Japanese, supporting Japanese creators legally becomes nearly impossible. Given the abundance of English, Spanish, and Russian translation groups in the manga piracy scene, it’s clear why many people resort to piracy instead of purchasing, they simply don’t have any other option.
Another motive for piracy arises out of sheer spite, particularly concerning Hollywood filmmakers and video game companies. These are entities known for anti-consumer practices or producing products riddled with progressive ideologies that many consumers find unappealing.
With video game prices now standardized at $70, it’s challenging to determine whether a game is truly worth the investment, especially given the prevalence of disappointments. Many games fall short of expectations, introduce censorship patches on the first day, or are filled with Western slang and infantile dialogue.
If Japan’s manga industry could be commercialized more swiftly and affordably, it would likely alleviate the piracy problem to an extent. This would enable more titles to be available for legal purchase, free from inaccuracies in translation now that machines handle the task. Nevertheless, Authorized Books of Japan (ABJ), representing companies like Shueisha, Kadokawa, Kodansha, and Shogakukan, reports a 25% reduction in piracy rates between 2022 and 2023 through various efforts.
As of the beginning of 2024, however, piracy rates remain roughly 80% higher than they were in 2020. There are still 1,176 pirate sites offering pirated content in various languages, including 277 sites providing Japanese content, 446 offering English translations, and the rest offering content in languages ranging from Chinese and Vietnamese to Turkish, Italian, and Russian.
Publishers have identified Cloudflare as a persistent issue in combating pirate sites. While these sites benefit from the platform, it hampers publishers’ efforts to investigate and take action against them. Meetings have occurred with Cloudflare in Japan over the past few years, but progress, if any, remains unclear.
In the interim, publishers like Shueisha are proceeding on the assumption that Cloudflare may possess valuable information about the owners of sites using its services. As a result, they file DMCA subpoena applications at courts in the United States to compel Cloudflare to disclose any relevant information it holds on site operators.
Following Shueisha’s DMCA takedown notices to Cloudflare on May 2, the company subsequently filed a DMCA subpoena application at a California district court on May 10. This application was approved this week, meaning Cloudflare will soon disclose information regarding approximately two dozen domains that unlawfully offered titles such as One Piece.
Notably, standout sites with significant traffic, such as truyenqqvn.com, mangakoma01.net, mangaraw.onl, rawkuma.com, and others boasting over a million visits per month, are highlighted in the accompanying images.
Leading the pack in terms of traffic is truyenqqvn.com, a site seemingly tailored exclusively for Vietnamese speakers. This is evident in its traffic statistics, with nearly 98% of its 43.1 million visits originating from Vietnam. The platform’s immense popularity is underscored by its current ranking as the 14th most visited website in the entire country.
However, it’s worth noting that the site no longer operates under the domain mentioned in the subpoena. Similar to many other platforms with Vietnamese ties, this domain change is not unprecedented and is likely to recur in the future.
As with all domains listed in the subpoena, Cloudflare is obligated to adhere to Shueisha’s extensive request for information, with Shueisha wanting to obtain the personal information of those who run these sites, such as their names, emails, phone numbers and addresses alongside payment information, credit card / banking details alongside IP addresses of those who operate them.
Certainly, piracy seems to be an ongoing challenge with no clear solution. Taking down one prominent website may temporarily stem the tide, but it’s inevitable that new ones will emerge almost immediately. As long as there’s demand from consumers seeking to access manga online, they will inevitably discover and flock to these new platforms.
