In light of the news about Manga Bank operator being arrested and punished, The Content Overseas Distribution Association’s (CODA), Director of Overseas Copyright Protection, Mr. Masaharu Ina, has told Animehunch that they would continue with their efforts to curb anime and manga piracy worldwide.

Mr. Ina also said that the fight against piracy has been successful till now due to the efforts put in by everyone involved in it.

“We shall continue our efforts to stop manga piracy on behalf of and in co-operation with the right holders,” Ina told Animehunch . “It has been done successfully thanks to the collective efforts of the manga publishers”.

While Ina did not share any information or details regarding the organisation’s actions in the future when it comes to taking legal action against ‘leakers’ and ‘spoilers’, he did say that CODA is working closely with the manga publishers to enforce their rights by taking appropriate measures.

It was recently revealed that the operator of pirated manga website, Manga Bank, was reportedly arrested in China and slapped with administrative punishment by authorities.

The Chongqing City resident, whose identity is not revealed, was charged with operating multiple piracy sites including Manga Bank and distributing works without the the permission of the right holders.

According to CODA, the fact that the case was accepted and the disposition was made, is unprecedent and groundbreaking.

The anti-piracy group had previously announced that they would be setting up the International Anti-Piracy Organization (IAPO) by April 2022. The organization will be dedicated to tackling illegal online distribution of anime, manga, and similar copyrighted content.

“Our plan is to start the new organization in or around April this year and share the information on piracy sites compiled in each country and provide same to the police of the country where the servers are located for example,” Ina had said.

Source: Email Correspondence.