Anything that is sought after the most is also the one that is most prone to be pirated. The same is applicable to the manga industry as well where, publishers allege that piracy has reached alarming proportions, enough for the publishers to seek legal action against the perpetrators. As the site ComicBook revealed, publishers Shueisha, Kadokawa, and Shogakukan have filed a lawsuit against the site Mangamura. In all, the publishers are seeking damages worth $14.2 million USD.
According to the lawsuit filed in the Tokyo District Court, the publishers are seeking damages for the following manga titles: One Piece, Kingdom, Yawara, Dorohedoro, Overlord, Sgt. Frog, Wise Man’s Grandchild, The Rising of the Shield Hero, Trinity Seven, Hinamatsuri, Erased, Mushoku Tensei, Golden Rough, Kanojo wa Uso o Ai Shisugiteru, Karakuri Circus, Kengan Ashura, and Tasogare Ryuseigun.
Mangamura has been on the piracy map for quite some time now and has emerged as one of the largest sites online that have pirated manga titles to offer. It has also run into legal issues earlier as well as when Romi Hoshino, the administrator of the site was convicted in a case of copyright infringement in 2021. The site has also been legally challenged by creator Ken Akamatsu and others as well. Now, it has to face the combined ire of some of the biggest publishers in Japan, Shueisha, Kadokawa, and Shogakukan. Damages being sought also run into millions of US dollars.
Interestingly, Shueisha is also partnering with Viz Media in initiating legal proceedings against manga pirate sites Manganelo and Manganato in a separate case. As it is, there are also those who strongly favor the pirating sites and justify their act by claiming it allows fans to pick up the latest titles for a more affordable price. Plus, such sites often have copies of even those titles that the publishers no longer have the rights for. So, apart from a price advantage, such sites also ensure easy access to decades-old manga titles as well that might have gone out of publications years ago.
As such, it remains to be seen if all of the efforts of the publishers yield the desired effect, that of containing piracy, if not eliminating it altogether.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
