Piracy continues to plague the entertainment industry, with manga perhaps being among the worst hit. As ComicBook stated, a recent report has revealed the staggering cost of piracy to the manga industry stands at a whopping $2.4 billion USD in 2023. This should give you an idea of how big the problem of manga piracy has become over the years.
The above information has been disclosed by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs during a meeting with ABJ. The agency pointed out that manga incurred losses of over 380 billion yen, which comes to around $2.4 billion USD. It also highlighted how demand for pirated manga has led to the mushrooming of piracy sites, with the top 10 such piracy sites in Japan seeing over 100 million visits every month.
Manga piracy grew manifold post the COVID-19 pandemic emphasizing the need for adopting stringent and effective anti-piracy measures. The agency is calling for the implementation of sustained anti-piracy measures to curb the proliferation of illicit manga platforms. However, despite concerted efforts, piracy remains a significant threat to the manga industry’s sustainability.
The impact of piracy extends beyond financial losses, affecting various stakeholders, including editorial staff and readers. Publishers like Shueisha and Kodansha have intensified their anti-piracy efforts through legal action and DMCA takedowns. Additionally, these publishers have launched global apps to provide readers with instant access to new content, yet piracy persists unabated.
The report’s findings underscore the enduring challenge posed by manga piracy, despite industry efforts to combat it. As manga publishers continue to innovate and expand legal avenues for accessing content, the battle against piracy remains an ongoing struggle. Only through collaborative action and technological advancements can the manga industry hope to mitigate the detrimental effects of piracy and safeguard its future.
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.