Japan’s Four Top Publishers Share New Stand Against Manga Piracy

When it comes to piracy, few industries get as bad of a reputation as manga. Japan has long struggled to keep manga pirates at bay, and it seems like four of the biggest publishers are ready to strike back at any Straw Hat wannabes. Not long ago, a report went live confirming a new coalition of sorts between Japan’s biggest publishers.

Over on Twitter, On Takahashi of Irodori Comics caught the attention of fans with a recent post. The CEO explained Japan’s four top publishers have made a joint announcement with Japan’s Mangaka Association in a stand against piracy.

While pushing against piracy is not new by any means, this latest endeavor is a way for publishers to work together on the issue. Shueisha, Kadokawa, Kodansha, and Shougakukan have all agreed to take part in the letter and don’t mistake their words for anything empty. Not long ago, the team came together to file a lawsuit in New York against several piracy sites.

As Sora News 24 reported, the four publishers filed a joint law suit against several scanlation sites. The websites are reportedly offshoots of the Manga Mura website which was infamously taken down last year. The lawsuit, which had to be filed in the U.S., aims to collect damages for the “willful and massive [copyright] infringement” caused by each site. The publishers are also aiming to shut the sites down permanently, and netizens admitted they were impressed the joint lawsuit would go so far West to nip pirates out of existence. And if their new alliance says anything so far, it’s that no pirate save for Luffy could stand up to the publishers.

What do you make of this joint stand against piracy? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!