Japanese Anime Companies Shut Down Another 15 Pirate Sites in Brazil

• Japanese Content Overseas Distribution Association closes 15 websites, including the third most popular in Brazil.
• The operation was conducted on behalf of major rights holders Toei Animation, Toho, and Bandai Namco Filmworks.
• Even though some officially ceased operations, their name reemerged with different domain extensions.

Japan-based anti-piracy organization Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA) actively tries to combat the piracy of Japanese anime and manga content and recently managed to shut down 15 pirate anime websites, including "bakashi.tv," previously the third most-visited pirate anime site in Brazil.

Acting on behalf of major rights holders Toei Animation Co., Ltd., Toho Co., Ltd., and Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc., CODA recently conducted an enforcement operation in Brazil that led to the shutdowns.

CODA employed a targeted and direct enforcement strategy known as "knock-and-talk." Commonly used by the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), this approach involves positively identifying pirate site operators and confronting them directly at their homes. 

Compared to traditional cease-and-desist letters, in-person confrontations are regarded as more impactful, often compelling operators to comply with takedown requests.

According to CODA, the targeted websites distributed Japanese anime with Portuguese subtitles to Brazilian audiences while implementing geo-blocking to prevent access from Japanese IP addresses. 

The sites generated ad revenue based on their substantial traffic, but these measures did not shield them from the broader reach of international anti-piracy enforcement.

One of the most prominent sites affected during the operation was "bakashi.tv," which reportedly received millions of monthly visits. SimilarWeb data indicates visitor counts of 6.43 million, 9.3 million, and 8.34 million in September, October, and November of this year, respectively. 

CODA reports that, collectively, the 15 targeted sites accumulated an average monthly visit count of approximately 7.95 million over the past three months.

While bakashi.tv has officially ceased operations, a new site under the same name but with a different domain extension has emerged, claiming the original owner deleted videos "out of spite." The emergence of alleged replacement sites suggests that efforts to combat piracy may face ongoing challenges, as operators and users attempt to circumvent enforcement.

The names of the other 14 closed sites have not been disclosed, leaving some ambiguity regarding the scope of the operation and the total number of individuals targeted by CODA's efforts.

In October, it was announced that publishing company Shueisha pursues manga pirates in the U.S., leveraging Cloudflare, PayPal, and VISA data to uncover the identity of the pirate websites’ operators and hit the individuals with civil lawsuits.