One of the world’s largest Web sites for pirated manga, Bato.to, was shut down at the start of this year, sending shock waves through the anime and publishing industries. The site has been accused of causing enormous losses to the global content industry. Japan’s Content Overseas Distribution Association said that the Web site had for years translated and distributed Japanese, Korean and Chinese works, supporting more than 50 languages, and causing estimated losses of about ￥770 billion (US$4.9 billion). Following a transnational investigation, Chinese authorities took action against the service’s operators, and its related Web sites have been gradually shut down since January.
Bato.to was not a single Web site, but rather an online system encompassing about 60 platforms. It monetized traffic through advertising, with monthly ad revenue reaching as much as ￥8 million at its peak. For the operators of pirate sites, there is no need to bear the cost of creation — simply obtaining popular works and translating them quickly is enough to attract large volumes of traffic. This economy enabled many pirate platforms to survive for long periods within the global Internet environment.
For Japan’s manga and anime industries, piracy is no longer an isolated issue, but a structural one. Publishers such as Kadokawa Corp, Kodansha and Shueisha have repeatedly joined forces to crack down on pirate Web sites. Once pirate sites translate and release a work for free ahead of time, legitimate platforms often struggle to attract a readership of the same scale even after launching an official version.
Due to the cross-border nature of such online platforms, it is often difficult for any single country to track down their operators. Only through evidence gathering by industry organizations, cooperation between governments and coordination within judicial mechanisms can operators be identified and legal action be taken. This model is gradually becoming an important trend in the global governance of digital content.
Taiwan is an important market for anime and manga, but piracy and illegal downloading remain rampant. If copyright protections are not strengthened, it would hinder Taiwan’s domestic content industry. The government could bolster policy in three areas.
First, it should enhance cross-border copyright enforcement cooperation to investigate overseas piracy platforms.
Second, it should accelerate blocking mechanisms to shorten the time infringing content remains available.
Lastly, it should support the development of legitimate digital platforms to make it easier for readers to access content legally.
At the same time, it is crucial to change consumer culture. When readers become accustomed to accessing content instantly and at a very low cost, the revenue of creators and the publishing industry would only continue to be eroded. Therefore, striking a balance between protecting creators’ rights and providing convenient services has become a critical issue in digital cultural policy.
Eason Chen is an engineer.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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