Over the past year, pirated anime websites have been taken down by copyright lawsuits filed by well-known studios. Platforms like AnimeFenix , Anitaku , and GogoAnime have shut down, while legal services like Crunchyroll and Disney+ continue to grow with anime's popularity.
However, just like the Hydra metaphor, " cut off one head and two will grow ." According to a new report, an anime piracy website has achieved impressive numbers, even surpassing streaming giants like Disney+ and Crunchyroll.
According to Torrent Freak , the "HiAnime" website received over 330 million visitors in November of last year. These numbers put the site ahead of platforms like Disney+ and Crunchyroll in online traffic, although they still lag behind services like Hulu. It's worth noting that these figures do not include usage on TVs and video game consoles, which represent a significant portion of the audience for legal platforms.
Japan's fight against AI piracy:
Last December, Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs allocated $2 million to combat digital piracy. Using artificial intelligence, the agency revealed that piracy in the world of anime and manga causes an estimated $133.8 million . In an official statement, the agency stated:
There are limitations to manually locating pirated sites, as it is time-consuming and costly. We want to develop effective countermeasures to reduce pirated sites and protect copyright holders.
US Government Involvement in Anime Pirate Sites:
In October, the U.S. government added HiAnime to its list of "notorious piracy marketplaces." Despite this, the site is still operating at the time of this publication.
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