Anti-piracy organization CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association) is a permanent fixture on the front lines of Japan’s war against online piracy.

CODA represents the interests of around 30 corporate entities doing business in the publishing, media, movie, music, and wider entertainment industries. Members include publishers Kadokawa, Shueisha, Kodansha, and Shogakukan, through to videogame/publishing giants Square Enix and Bandai Namco. From the broadcasting sector, there’s NHK, Nippon, and Nikkatsu, to name just a few.

While these names represent just a sample of the individual companies represented by CODA, the anti-piracy group also has around ten ‘organizational’ members. These are trade groups in their own right and have members of their own.

They include the Japan Satellite Broadcasting Association, Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, Japan Video Software Association, Japan Magazine Publishers Association, Association of Japanese Animations, plus several others involved in the videogame, software, and content protection legal sectors.

Popularity of Japanese Content Fuels Massive Levels of Piracy

The scale of the content protection challenge faced by CODA is difficult to overstate. The anti-piracy group is refreshingly open with its research and data, which as an observer makes it easier to connect with and appreciate the big numbers, rather than simply reciting them without relevant context.

Japan’s online piracy issues are a constant, much as they are in any other country, but more recent estimates reveal illicit consumption’s startling growth.

A major problem estimated to be worth less than 500 billion yen (US$3.3bn) back in 2019 took just three years to transform itself into a ~2 trillion yen ($13.2bn) piracy nightmare. Videogame piracy skyrocketed in the period leading to 2022, but it’s the products of the publishing and film industries that attract the lion’s share of all piracy, much of it taking place and directed from overseas.

CODA & MPA Officially Extend 10-Year Anti-Piracy Partnership

On March 20, 2014, CODA and the Motion Picture Association (MPA) signed an agreement to develop new strategies to tackle online copyright infringement worldwide, and to strengthen their joint copyright protection activities. The agreement, renewed another five times since then, has just reached its 10th anniversary and the event was marked with another renewal.

Last week at MPA headquarters in Washington, D.C., CODA and the Motion Picture Association signed an official memorandum of understanding (MOU) to extend the term of their agreement until 2026.

“On the day, MPA’s Karin Temple (Senior Executive Vice President and Global General Counsel) and CODA’s Representative Director Takeo Goto signed the agreement, and at the signing ceremony, each pledged further collaboration,” a CODA statement reads.

“CODA and MPA began a business partnership in 2005 to combat physical piracy in the Asian region, and have since built a strong partnership by signing a 10-year MOU starting in 2014. CODA and MPA’s joint enforcement efforts have achieved great results, including implementing many anti-piracy measures in the Asia-Pacific and beyond, resulting in tens of thousands of crackdowns.”

Joint Success, Massive Budget Disparities

CODA data shows that from January 2005 to March 2023, collaboration with the MPA generated thousands of enforcement cases. In China, 13,820 cases led to the arrest of 304 people, in Hong Kong 1,318 cases led to 1,275 arrests, and in Taiwan, 2,233 people were arrested as part of 2,215 enforcement operations.

From physical piracy operations to more recent actions targeting pirate IPTV in Taiwan, CODA deals with problems wherever it finds them.

A major issue faced by CODA relates to its budget for overseas anti-piracy enforcement. Funding for overseas anti-piracy efforts is allocated as a proportion of overseas sales and CODA’s members simply don’t do enough overseas business to compete with the MPA, CODA explains.

Annual dues for the six major studios for piracy-fighting actions carried out by the MPA total $50m. CODA says that Disney’s sales alone out-volume the combined sales of Toei, Toho, Shochiku, and Kadokawa, at a rate of 16 to 1.

Given the disparity, the opportunity to conduct joint enforcement work with the MPA is clearly a massive boost for CODA’s members. At a time when Japanese content is in demand like never before in overseas markets, it’s especially important. As the market stands right now, however, only a minority of overseas consumers actually pay for it.

Enforcement Challenges Broadly Mimic Those of the MPA

In a presentation slide, CODA highlights how a typical pirate can operate if the operator wishes to remain anonymous. The original slide ‘The dark side of identifying operators of pirated sites’ is entirely in Japanese so here we’ve made best efforts to provide a like-for-like translation.

Some nuance may have been lost, but the common theme is undoubtedly a lack of ‘know your customer’ regimes from domain registration, to server rental, through to use of a CDN such as Cloudflare.

Considered a major irritant, the Njalla domain service is called out alongside Cloudflare.

“Began operations in April 2017. Sells ‘complete anonymity’. Founded by Peter Sunde, co-founder of The Pirate Bay. Users buy the rights to use domains purchased by Njalla. Njalla is the owner of the domain, Njalla does not disclose [user identities],” CODA writes.

“[Cloudflare] operates a distributed server system (user servers are hard to find). When Cloudflare discloses information, the site operator is also notified to that effect. The operator immediately moves the server,” the anti-piracy group contiues, adding:

“If you have basic knowledge of the Internet and can read and write simple English, you can operate a completely anonymous pirate site!”

Takedown Compliance: The Winner is….

In common with many anti-piracy groups, CODA sends large numbers of DMCA-style takedown notices to platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Daily Motion, and sundry local equivalents.

The data shows that CODA achieves a very high rate of compliance, in many cases above 99%. (Original slide in Japanese, our translations appear inside square brackets [ ])

Whether that’s due to CODA’s high-level accuracy (our knowledge of CODA suggests that they take accuracy very seriously) or adherence to strict local law, or even a combination of both, isn’t immediately clear. However, the stand-out figures here are returned by MEGA; every piece of content CODA asked MEGA to remove, was removed, earning the company a 100% compliance rate.

For reference, CODA’s members and their lines of business are listed below.
(Note: some companies may span more than one category but here they are listed only once)

### Anime and Entertainment Production
1. Aniplex Inc.
2. Cygames, Inc.
3. KADOKAWA CORPORATION
4. King Record Co., Ltd.
5. SHUEISHA Inc.
6. SHOGAKUKAN Inc.
7. Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions Co., Ltd.
8. SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD.
9. STUDIO GHIBLI INC.
10. TOEI ANIMATION CO., LTD.
11. TMS ENTERTAINMENT CO., LTD.

### Publishing and Media
12. ADK Emotions Inc.
13. KODANSHA LTD.
14. Nikkatsu Corporation
15. Nippon Television Network Corporation
16. Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK)
17. Shochiku Co., Ltd.
18. TOKYO BROADCASTING SYSTEM TELEVISION, INC.
19. TV Asahi Corporation
20. TV TOKYO Corporation
21. YOMIURI TELECASTING CORPORATION
22. WOWOW Inc.

### Film Production and Distribution
23. Happinet Phantom Studios Corporation
24. TOEI COMPANY, LTD.
25. TOHO CO., LTD.
26. Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc.

### Music and Record Labels
27. Avex Inc.
28. King Record Co., Ltd.
29. PONY CANYON INC.
30. UNIVERSAL MUSIC LLC

### Broadcasting
31. Fuji Television Network, Inc.

### Miscellaneous
32. FWD Inc. (Various services)
33. YOSHIMOTO KOGYO HOLDINGS CO., LTD. (Entertainment management and production)

Organizational members of CODA listed by category

### Media and Entertainment Associations
1. Japan Satellite Broadcasting Association
2. Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan
3. Japan Video Software Association
4. Japan Magazine Publishers Association
5. The Association of Japanese Animations

### Gaming and Software
6. Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association
7. Association of Copyright for Computer Software
8. Digital Content Association of Japan

### Intellectual Property and Legal
9. Japan Patent Attorneys Association

### Anti-Counterfeiting
10. Anti-Counterfeiting Association

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Anime piracy site B9Good first appeared way back in 2008, initially operating under B9DM branding. Defying the usual odds, 15 years later the site was still alive and kicking.

Last March, Japan-based anti-piracy group CODA reported an estimate of B9Good’s traffic for the two years running up to February 2023. Based in China, the site had been accessed more than 300 million times and, crucially, around 95% of those visits came from Japan, mostly seeking access to Japanese content.

The China Complication

Rightsholders based outside China have long complained that tackling infringers inside the country can be extremely difficult. Key obstacles include safe harbors for intermediaries viewed as overprotective, and the so-called server principle , which turns on where infringing content is hosted.

This means that when infringing apps, websites and set-top boxes linked directly to China utilize pirated content hosted overseas, foreign rightsholders have limited opportunities to enforce their rights against their operators inside the country.

That raises the question of how Japan-based anti-piracy group CODA, representing several major Japanese anime rightsholders, were able to convince Chinese authorities to shut down B9Good, arrest its operators, and then prosecute them for criminal offenses.

With Planning and Patience, China Became Less Complex

After revealing a few details in 2023 when B9Good was targeted and later shut down , this morning CODA put more meat on the bones. The details arrived as part of an announcement celebrating three first-of-their-kind convictions which, seemingly for legal reasons, CODA has been sitting on for a few weeks.

CODA says that its work against B9Good dates back to 2016 when it filed an administrative complaint in China. In response, however, a site operator referred to as ‘Man A’ implemented geo-blocking measures at B9Good, then operating as B9DM, to give the impression the site had shut down, while continuing to infringe everywhere else.

With the launch of CODA’s International Enforcement Project (CBEP) in 2021, the anti-piracy group set out to personally identify the operators of pirate sites. After being identified in China, B9Good’s operators would soon discover that the country’s borders offered less protection than before.

CODA Levels Up in China

In January 2022, CODA’s Beijing office was recognized as an NGO with legitimate standing to protect the rights of its members, which include anime rightsholders Aniplex, TV Tokyo, Toei Animation, Toho, Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), and Bandai Namco Film Works.

CODA filed a criminal complaint with the Public Security Bureau, and starting February 14, 2023, Chinese law enforcement began rounding up the B9Good team. In Jiangsu Province, a 33-year-old unemployed man was held on suspicion of operating B9Good. He was reportedly released a month later after confessing to his involvement. That led to the authorities seizing his home.

In the meantime, a 30-year-old woman living in Chengdu, a 38-year-old man from Shanghai, and a 34-year-old woman from Fuzhou City, were questioned at their homes. It was alleged that the women were paid by the site’s main operator to upload pirated content, while the man uploaded content to file-hosting sites to generate revenue from advertising. In total, 45,880 anime titles were made available via B9Good without permission from rightsholders.

Taizhou People’s Court Hands Down Sentences

On December 26, 2023, the People’s Court of Taizhou Pharmaceutical High-Tech Industrial Development Zone handed down three sentences. The main offender, Man A, was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for three years and six months. In addition to the seizure of his home, he was fined 1.8 million yuan (38 million yen, US$253,000), an amount equivalent to the ad revenue he earned through B9Good. The conviction is now final after the appeal period ended.

Female B, who was paid by Man A to upload pirated anime to the site, was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for one year and six months, for copyright infringement offenses. Female D, who also received payment for uploading pirated anime, was sentenced to eight months in prison and one year’s probation.

According to CODA, Man C, who allegedly generated revenue from pirated anime uploaded to file-hosting sites, was not sentenced. CODA doesn’t go into detail other than reporting that he was “subject to exemption measures stipulated by China’s criminal law.”

Sentences May Disappoint, But Value Lies in Convictions

For deterrent purposes, it’s likely that CODA would’ve preferred immediate custodial sentences, but this wasn’t simply a routine case that failed to live up to expectations. Under normal circumstances, a case like this wouldn’t have even gotten off the ground, let alone end in convictions.

“In this judgment, the punishment was reduced to a suspended sentence and the conviction was decided based on the fact that Man A was a first-time offender and that he voluntarily confessed, acknowledged the crime, and showed a willingness to accept punishment,” CODA explains.

“However, this is the first time that criminal penalties have been imposed on the operators and uploaders of overseas pirated sites due to an approach from Japan. CODA hopes that the recent crackdown and judgment against such malicious sites will have a significant impact on deterring the operation of similar pirated sites.

“In response to online infringements, which are causing damage worldwide, CODA will continue to proactively develop countermeasures beyond national borders, even if their operations are based overseas, and will continue to eliminate unauthorized use of Japanese content,” CODA concludes .

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Manga comics are popular around the globe in a content category that has seen piracy grow significantly in recent years.

This popularity is also apparent in manga’s home country Japan, where several dedicated pirate sites are active.

Publishers are working hard to counter this trend and last month they turned to a U.S. court for help. Working with the Japanese anti-piracy group CODA, manga publisher Shueisha obtained a DMCA subpoena that required Cloudflare to uncover the identities of several pirate site operators.

13DL.to Folds

This legal strategy doesn’t always pay off as some site operators use strawmen and fake data, but in this case, the publisher struck gold. Soon after the subpoena was issued, Japan’s largest manga piracy site 13DL.to stopped releasing new content.

New uploads stopped appearing three days after the DMCA subpoena to Cloudflare was issued and the site’s operator later confirmed that the site has shut down for good. At the time of writing, it’s no longer operational.

This is a major win for the publishers as 13DL.to had an estimated 25 million monthly visits, mostly from Japan. The site listed links to fresh manga releases which were distributed through external file-hosting platforms such as RapidGator, TakeFile, Novafile, WupFile, and HexUpload.

Cyberlocker Targets

Several of these hosting sites were also targeted in the DMCA subpoena obtained by the publisher, after they were first targeted in a regular DMCA notice, listed below.

According to CODA, the operator of 13DL was responsible for uploading the pirated comics to these third-party sites. This provided a source of revenue through the affiliate payments these cyberlockers offer.

CODA notes that Cloudflare has yet to respond to the DMCA subpoena but is expected to do so this month. In addition to information on 13DL, platforms including takefile.link, novafile.org, wupfile.com, hexupload.net, and manga-zip.is are also part of the legal request.

‘Final Present’

In addition to the Cloudflare probe, CODA is also working with the publishers and ‘ethical hackers’ to explore other options to uncover the identity of 13DL’s operator. This includes going after one of the aforementioned cyberlockers, which is presumably operated from Scandinavia.

The latter action was prompted by a ‘final present’ the operator shared with users. The gift is a file containing download links to 180,000 pirated manga works that was shared after the site announced its shutdown.

“CODA, in cooperation with the rights holders, attorney Nakajima, and ethical hackers, is currently requesting procedures from a local law firm in Scandinavia, where the cyberocker is believed to operate, in order to promptly file a sender information disclosure request regarding the distribution of the ‘final present’.

“We will use every means at our disposal to identify the operator,” CODA notes in its press release.

Following 13DL’s demise several copycat sites appeared, using the 13DL brand in an attempt to fill the void. According to CODA, people should stay away from these sources, for their own safety.

“[These sites are] operated by criminals, and you may be infected with malicious malware by clicking on ads or downloading infringing material. Please be careful not to access these sites,” the group warns.

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

An announcement by the Brazilian government in February revealed that “the two biggest digital anime pirate sites” in Brazil had been “taken down” in Operation 404 offshoot, ‘Operation Anime’.

The Ministry of Justice and Public Security said the objective was to “repress crimes committed against intellectual property” on the internet; more specifically, piracy of Japanese cartoons, better known as anime.

The Ministry of Justice reported that the operation received support from the Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA), an anti-piracy group that protects anime content in Japan and overseas.

While no sites were named at the time, our initial report named Animes-Vision and AnimesOnline among the most likely candidates. We also suspected that the crackdown may have been broader than the authorities in Brazil had stated at the time, with Animeyabu and Animesbr among a growing list of sites apparently heading for the hills.

CODA Confirms True Scale of Operation Anime

For operational reasons, anti-piracy group CODA was unable to comment on the February crackdown as it was taking place, but it is able to do so now. Information made available to TorrentFreak shows that while two of the largest sites were indeed targeted, the scale of the operation went far beyond that.

“From February to March 2023, several malicious piracy sites of Japanese anime in Brazil, including ‘goyabu.com’ and ‘animeyabu.com,’ were shut down due to accusations by CODA members,” CODA reports.

“These pirate sites were publishing Japanese anime with subtitles in Portuguese, the local language, on the Internet without the proper authorization from the rights holders.”

As part of Brazil’s Operation 404 anti-piracy initiative, Operation Animes was the first crackdown in Brazil against sites specializing in Japanese cartoons, targeted at a local audience. It’s also the first time that CODA’s members have filed a criminal referral against pirate sites focusing on an overseas market.

Criminal Referral, Raids, Shutdowns

“In November 2022, TOEI ANIMATION CO., LTD., TOHO CO., LTD., and Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc. filed criminal referral through CODA against four pirate sites in Brazil that infringe on Japanese animation,” CODA reveals.

“The investigation revealed that two of the sites were opened by the same operator. In response to this, since February 8, 2023, raids and other investigations have been conducted in each of the three cases, and a total of 13 sites have been closed down, including these four sites as well as nine related sites operated by the suspects.”

CODA reports that its investigations opened up opportunities for direct confrontations with site operators, also known as “knock-and-talks”. The operators of nine sites found themselves involved in these direct negotiations which led to their sites and affiliated sites – 18 in total – being shut down as well.

In total, 31 sites were shut down as a direct result of CODA’s involvement, but since news travels fast, the actual number of closures surpasses that.

Knock-On Effects

During a press conference today at the House of Councillors, the upper house of the National Diet of Japan, CODA director Masaharu Ina provided even more detail on the events of February and March. In response to the 31 sites directly shut down, another five sites decided to close voluntarily, making 36 shutdowns in total.

CODA reports that the average monthly traffic for these sites, in the three-month period spanning December 2022 to February 2023, was approximately 83 million visits. The closure of the 36 sites means that 12 of the top 20 most popular anime piracy sites in Brazil, detailed in Mr. Ina’s presentation, were removed from the market.

At the time of writing, CODA reports that 22 of 36 domains have been signed over to the anti-piracy group. Many currently direct to the CODA shutdown notice below.

With the details of the operation now being made public, it’s clear that Operation Anime was indeed bigger than the authorities suggested back in February and it remains ongoing.

Most Domains Being Handed Over, But Not All…

Documents seen by TorrentFreak indicate that there are still some loose ends to tie up, with the operators of five sites (animesonehd.cc, animesonehd.xyz, anizero.site, animesup.biz, animesup.cx) still in negotiations to transfer their domains.

After agreeing to help CODA in future investigations, the operators of two targeted sites will be allowed to keep their domains, but obviously not for piracy purposes. Inevitably, however, a stubborn minority seem happy to risk another throw of the dice.

These photographs were taken when police visited a suspect’s home on February 8. His site is believed to have received around 1.3 million visits per month but on this occasion the alleged operator’s whereabouts couldn’t be established. Despite his site being DNS blocked in Brazil, the slide suggests that may not deter him from his work.

Finally, it’s worth noting that despite the strongest of suggestions that the two key sites mentioned in February had been “taken down” by the authorities in Brazil, it now appears that what their press release really meant to say was that the sites’ operators somehow learned about CODA’s work and decided to shut themselves down.

Since sites as large as those rarely surrender, the stronger, clearer message may have been missed.

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Rightsholders and anti-piracy groups in Japan are committing considerable resources to their fight against online piracy.

While no targets are off limits, site owners who operate inside Japan present fewer challenges than those based overseas. A new report from anti-piracy group CODA indicates that with persistence and smart tactics, solutions can be found in difficult overseas regions.

Pirate Manga Site B9Good.com

Manga piracy site B9Good initially appeared in 2008 and established itself under B9DM branding. SimilarWeb stats show that the site was enjoying around 15 million visits each month, with CODA noting that in the two-year period leading to February 2023, the site was accessed more than 300 million times Around 95% of the site’s visitors came from Japan.

B9Good had been featured in an MPA submission to the USTR’s notorious markets report in 2019. Traffic was reported as almost 16 million visits per month back then, meaning that site visitor numbers remained stable for the next three years. The MPA said the site was possibly hosted in Canada, but domain records since then show a wider spread, including Hong Kong, China, United States, Bulgaria, and Japan.

Chinese Authorities Shut Down B9Good.com

Wherever the site ended up, the location of its operator was more important. In 2021, CODA launched its International Enforcement Project (CBEP), which aimed to personally identify the operators of pirate sites, including those behind B9Good who were eventually traced to China.

Pursuing copyright cases from outside China is reportedly difficult, but CODA had a plan. In January 2022, CODA’s Beijing office was recognized as an NGO with legitimate standing to protect the rights of its member companies.

Working on behalf of Aniplex, TV Tokyo, Toei Animation, Toho, Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), and Bandai Namco Film Works, CODA filed a criminal complaint in China, and starting February 14, 2023, local authorities began rounding up the B9Good team.

Four People Detained by Chinese Authorities

CODA reports that public security authorities in Jiangsu Province, China, detained a 33-year-old unemployed man living in Chongqing on February 14. He was held under suspicion of operating B9Good and later confessed to his involvement.

The man was held until March 19 before being released on bail. His house, reportedly worth around $580,000, was seized by the authorities.

From February 18 to March 21, Chinese authorities arrested three more people. A 30-year-old woman living in Chengdu, a 38-year-old man from Shanghai, and a 34-year-old woman from Fuzhou City were searched and questioned at their homes.

The women were allegedly paid by B9Good’s operator to upload pirated content. The man is said to have uploaded pirated content to file-hosting platforms while earning revenue from advertising.

B9Good.com remained online until March 27. At the time of writing, it displays the following message in Chinese (English translation provided) .

In common with many other pirate sites, B9Good also operated from several other domains, including b9dm.com and b9game.com. All currently show the same shutdown message.

Several B9Good copycat sites have been in operation for some time, including b9good.tv, b9good.net, b9good.one, and b9good.one. None seem linked to the original, and at least one seems to direct visitors to legal sources.

At least two new B9Good-branded domains with similar formatting appeared while the alleged operator of B9Good was still detained. Neither appears related to the original site

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Alors que la cérémonie des Oscars 2023 arrive, nous conseillons 9 films primés ces dernières années, à voir en streaming sur les plateformes de SVOD. [Lire la suite]

Abonnez-vous aux newsletters Numerama pour recevoir l’essentiel de l’actualité https://www.numerama.com/newsletter/

In the 2000s, Japan was a relatively safe place for people with a penchant for downloading content without paying for it. Even those running torrent sites were relatively worry-free when compared to their United States counterparts.

Inevitably, it wouldn’t stay that way. While uploading copyrighted content was already illegal, in 2012 Japan criminalized unlicensed movie and TV show downloading, punishable by fines and up to two years in prison. In 2020, Japan’s parliament followed up by criminalizing those who download pirated manga.

But perhaps the most significant change was a law that outlawed indexing sites . Known as ‘leech’ or ‘reach’ sites in Japan, these are platforms that host no copyrighted content themselves but link to external platforms that do. Following amendments that came into effect on October 1, 2020, anyone operating such a site faces up to a five million yen fine, a five-year prison sentence, or potentially both.

It seems that some people didn’t get the memo.

Suspected ‘Reach’ Site Operator Arrested in Japan

According to a report from anti-piracy group CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association), officers from the Gunma Prefectural Police Cyber Crime Division and Takasaki North Police Station have arrested a man on suspicion of operating an unnamed ‘reach’ site.

CODA says that the site’s domain was registered in February 2018. At least initially it was used as a movie information site, providing details of movies alongside their official trailers. At some point later, however, the site began linking to copies of pirated movies that had been uploaded to overseas file-hosting platforms.

Covering both Japanese and Western movies, the site offered links to around 3,300 titles according to local reports. CODA highlights two popular recent anime titles – ‘Gundam Reconguista in G Movie III: Legacy from Space’ and ‘Knights of Sidonia Atsumu Guhoshi’ – plus affected rightsholders Bandai Namco Filmworks and King Records Co. Ltd.

Man Told Police He Just Wanted to Share

The suspect, a 51-year-old unemployed man, was arrested in Asahi Town, Yamagata Prefecture. He is being investigated for copyright infringement offenses and is said to have generated revenue from advertising. In comments to police, he said that his love for movies made him want to share.

“I like movies, so I wanted everyone to see them,” he said .

CODA sees things differently, noting that ‘reach’/indexing sites play a crucial role in the piracy ecosystem by facilitating access to content that would be harder to find otherwise.

“Various copyrighted works are illegally uploaded to overseas storage sites. In many cases, information such as the title of the work is not described, and the file name is a list of meaningless characters, so the user cannot reach the content without a guidance window provided by the reach site,” the anti-piracy group says.

“CODA continues to investigate copyright infringement on the Internet, including reach sites, and will endeavor to promote sound regular distribution in which content is properly protected.”

In February this year, the Gunma Prefectural Police targeted the suspected operator of another indexing site. The man was arrested for offering links to thousands of movies and TV shows, including content owned by production companies Toei and Toho.

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.