Fighting piracy for over 30 years!
Ask CODA Representative Mr. Goto. Tell us!
What happens when we watch
pirated copies?

Legitimate distribution and anti-piracy measures are indeed two wheels of a cart and are essential issues.

You probably know that Japanese manga, animation, films, video games, etc. are very popular overseas. As Japanese, we are very proud that our country’s content is being enjoyed around the world. For Japan, which aims to “dramatically expand the content it produces,” business opportunities are expanding all over the world in this age of digital networking. However, in attempting to spread Japanese content to the rest of the world, we face piracy issues, which extend to the other side of the globe. In particular, the evolution of the online environment, on the flip side, has also led to increased piracy. Without solving this piracy issues, it will be very difficult to distribute Japanese content legitimately overseas. Legitimate distribution and anti-piracy measures are essential issues that must be addressed firmly as two wheels of a cart.

“Watching” can lead indirectly to aiding crime.

Many pirate sites distribute attractive Japanese content without permission from the right holders and let people watch it for free. Operators of pirate sites can upload vast amounts of content without the time, effort, and expense of producing it, since all they have to do is copy the work. The basic business model of pirate sites is to earn a large number of accesses by doing so, and to earn excessive profits from online advertising revenues based on the number of views. In other words, if no one views pirate sites, the criminals who make pirated copies cannot make money, so they would not want to create a pirate site.
To begin with, it is like a dream for anyone to watch as much content as they want for free. What you are watching, however, are illegal pirate sites with a scheme to make money unfairly by infringing copyrights. Just “watching” can lead indirectly to aiding crime. No one would want that.

We want all of you to know the importance of returning legitimate profits to the right holders of the works.

It is exciting when you come across a new work by your favorite author of manga, animation, films, music, video games, etc. “I want to find more interesting works!” is a common desire among content lovers. I desire great content will continue to be created in Japan. It is essential that the people who created the content be paid for it by those of us who read, watch, or listen to the content.
If you use pirated copies, the author who created the work cannot earn income. This would make it impossible to spend money on new content creation. As a result, exciting works are no longer created, and the Japanese culture and content industry will decline. I want everyone to learn the importance of returning a fair profit to the right holders who created the works and protect this content creation cycle. Consequently, great content can continue to be created, and everyone can enjoy works forever.

Now please think again about “watching” pirate sites!

So, what can we do? Very simply, “don’t watch” pirate sites. And if there is content that fascinates you, I hope you will take the time to enjoy the legitimate version cherishingly. It is illegal to copy and upload manga, animation, films, music, video games, and other copyrighted works on the Internet without the right holder’s permission. It is also illegal to download copyrighted works from a pirate site knowing that the work is pirated, even if it is for personal enjoyment. You may wonder if it is okay to just “watch.” I have what I would like to ask you to do. Please think once again about whether or not watching pirated copies is really the right thing to do to protect your favorite content, artists, and, by extension, the future of Japanese culture and the content industry.