On August 20, 2024, Aniplex and TOHO, along with other entertainment companies, secured a court order in the United States to disclose the identities of the owners of suspected leak accounts. Courts issued the official order on August 30, 2024. The companies asked for the request due to unauthorized leaks of videos and images from the Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen anime on Twitter.
These companies, all part of Japan’s Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA), are taking a proactive stance in the legal battle. CODA, which is assisting with the legal proceedings, has been receiving similar requests for various anime shows and intends to proactively collect information and pursue legal action against identical accounts. This marks the first time a U.S. court has issued a discovery order related to anime leaks.
It’s common for popular manga such as Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer to get their chapters leaked before the official release date. Still, a major investigation may result in leakers’ identities being revealed.
The announcement comes after a series of global incidents, with leaked episodes and videos surfacing in early August for various anime, such as Rumiko Takahashi’s Ranma 1/2 manga adaptation, Yukinobu Tatsu’s Dandadan anime, and the Gekijōban Mononoke: Karakasa film, on public and piracy websites. Crunchyroll, a major player in the anime industry, experienced leaks of episodes from the anime spring season in early April.
Netflix, Crunchyroll, and global entertainment technology and localization company Iyuno revealed intentions to investigate and eliminate the unauthorized content and take legal action against the individuals responsible.
Once the identities of the leakers are uncovered, CODA intends to enforce severe penalties, and the people responsible would have to face severe consequences.
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