All episodes on the popular anime piracy streaming site AnimeHeaven are inaccessible following DMCA action, with error messages reading, “Episode no longer available because DMCA trolls took down video server.” One Discord mod says it’s “unlikely” the videos will return, while another said this will presumably continue “forever.” According to Similarweb, AnimeHeaven had 11.6 million visits in April and 39.3 million over the last 3 months.
Crunchyroll was named as one of the rights holders that filed the takedown notice, with a mod replying to a channel member, “Can you stop Crunchyroll from spamming server providers?” and “Crunchyroll st*bbed video server.” It’s unclear whether there were other parties. Nevertheless, numerous notable anime-related companies have recently authorized DMCA takedown notices about AnimeHeaven to be sent to Google, requesting its links be deindexed. MarkScan, Remove Your Media, comeso GmbH, and Anti-Piracy Protection are among the most frequent anti-piracy services, representing rightsholders like Crunchyroll, Toho, GKIDS, Japan Creative Contents Alliance, SB Creative Corp., Toei Animation, Kadokawa Anime, and others.
This follows the massive disruption to the manga scanlation site MangaDex, which revealed in a new statement that “approximately 7,000 titles” were affected. The statement prompted many to think that MangaDex would likely shut down or remove its titles as it switches to an above-board licensing framework. MangaDex appeared to refute the latter, saying it would not become Crunchyroll. It also explained its new management structure under NamiComi, suggesting that it would allow more effective responses to DMCA takedown notices and ensure “the long-term sustainability of MangaDex.“
Reaper Scans was another notable piracy site affected by legal action, announcing its shutdown following a Cease and Desist from Korea’s Kakao Entertainment. The site was notable for offering largely free-to-read webtoons and web novels, however garnered controversy for paywalling content. Kakao Entertainment and several other webtoon providers in Korea now look ahead to May 26 — the sentencing hearing for the operator of piracy sites OKToon (webtoons and web novels), and NoonooTV and TVWiki (streaming). Their operator is one of Korea’s most notorious pirates, pulling hundreds of millions of monthly accesses across the three sites before his arrest.
Featured image © Crunchyroll © Koyoharu Gotoge / SHUEISHA / Aniplex / ufotable, © Solo Leveling Animation Partners, ©Gege Akutami/Shueisha/JUJUTSU KAISEN Project, © Katarina, Ryosuke Fuji, Kodansha / “Shangri-La Frontier” Production Committee
Participate In Discussions