It never pays to commit an anime crime. This week, several Japanese entertainment companies, such as Aniplex and Toho, have filed for information disclosure in U.S. courts. The reason: the companies wish to unveil the identities of the individuals responsible for leaking anime content on X.
Japanese Companies Take Action
All the members pursuing such legal action are part of CODA, or Japan’s Content Overseas Distribution Association. According to CODA, this is not the first time it has received requests of this nature regarding the illegal distribution of anime content. In this specific case, Aniplex holds the rights to Demon Slayer, while Toho and other businesses are rights holders for Jujutsu Kaisen. However, it is a first for an approved filing of information disclosure in the U.S. courts in relation to anime leaks.
Those of you who have been following this story on X may remember the internet frenzy in August when unseen footage of new anime went viral on the platform. This included the likes of the Ranma ½ reboot by Rumiko Takahashi as well as excerpts of the opening and endings of Dandadan by Yukinobu Tatsu.
This case doesn’t just impact the original creators of the series but also companies who hold the official distribution rights. Netflix, Crunchyroll and other businesses involved in entertainment and localization will also be investigating and removing any remaining unauthorized material. As far as we’ve checked on X, there doesn’t seem to be any further leaks.
It’s unclear as to why anyone would risk legal action from large multinational companies purely to leak content on social media. One motive could be clout from peers and anime communities. Another incentive could be those aiming for monetization on X’s premium accounts, which has resulted in certain users doing everything they can to ensure their posts become as viral as possible.
