If you are familiar with the manga industry, you have had some sort of run-in with piracy. Not the fun kind, mind you – not the kind we see in One Piece and the like. No, piracy has plagued the manga industry for years, and the endemic issue is just getting worse. As technology grows, manga piracy booms with it, and now the losses are racking up. After all, a new report reveals the manga industry took a $800 million hit in one month this year, and the huge blow is only going to become more common.
The whole report comes courtesy of ABJ, a large anti-piracy group from Japan titled Authorized Books of Japan. In the past year or so, the group has made global efforts to raise awareness of piracy and its negative impact on the publishing industry. Last month, the group ran adverts in publications like New York Times, Le Monde, and more. The public pitch was created to thank fans who read official manga translations, and ABJ wanted to give thanks as May 2024 was a horrific month as far as losses went for the industry.
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After all, the month of May marked a whopping $800 million loss for the manga industry. The staggering hit comes from English-language piracy platforms alone, so you can imagine how big the problem is when you think about non-English sites.
“The amount of free reading per month on the top 10 English translation piracy sites alone amounts to 800 million US dollars, a figure that is increasing every year and requires immediate action,” ABJ reported in its latest data breakdown which uses figures from May 2024. The organization went on to share that 1,332 sites are on its radar for illegally sharing manga. While some of these sites cater to Japanese readers, the majority are global. In terms of language, piracy platforms are most often posting in English with other languages like Spanish, Russian, and Chinese following close behind.
There is no denying that manga piracy is very much alive online, but ABJ says the industry has started to see results from its anti-piracy measures. From lawsuits to arrests, manga publishers like Shueisha and Shogakukan have been more aggressive in prosecuting pirates as of late. According to the ABJ, the manga industry saw a 25% decrease in online piracy between 2022 and 2023, but vigilance is always needed. And as manga continues to grow more popular globally, you can expect to see publishers crack down on piracy even more intensely.
What do you make of this latest piracy report? Let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!
