In a case in which a major publisher sought damages from the former operator of the pirate website Manga Village, the Tokyo District Court has handed down a judgement ordering compensation of approximately 1.7 billion yen.
In 2022, major publishers KADOKAWA, SHUEISHA and Shogakukan sued the former operator of the pirate website Manga-mura for the unauthorised publication of popular manga such as Kingdom and One Piece.In total, the publishers were seeking compensation of more than 1.9 billion yen.
The Tokyo District Court, in a ruling on 18 April, pointed out that the former operator “made the site available to an unspecified number of users free of charge without authorisation” and ordered the former operator of “Manga-mura” to pay approximately 1.7 billion yen in compensation.
After the ruling, the former operator of Manga-mura gave an interview.
Former operator of Manga Village
‘I personally don’t agree with the verdict and I don’t regret it at all as I believe it disregarded the grounds.’
-What is the timetable for payment once the judgment is finalised?
Former operator of Mangamura
‘I have no intention of paying anything at all.
They are considering an appeal.
On the other hand, the publishers…
Representatives of the three plaintiff companies
‘I think it has been very effective in the sense that a huge piracy site originating in Japan has been eliminated.’
They say that going to court was a major deterrent to rights infringement.
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In a case in which a major publisher sought damages from the former operator of the pirate website Manga Village, the Tokyo District Court has handed down a judgement ordering compensation of approximately 1.7 billion yen.
In 2022, major publishers KADOKAWA, SHUEISHA and Shogakukan sued the former operator of the pirate website Manga-mura for the unauthorised publication of popular manga such as Kingdom and One Piece.In total, the publishers were seeking compensation of more than 1.9 billion yen.
The Tokyo District Court, in a ruling on 18 April, pointed out that the former operator “made the site available to an unspecified number of users free of charge without authorisation” and ordered the former operator of “Manga-mura” to pay approximately 1.7 billion yen in compensation.
After the ruling, the former operator of Manga-mura gave an interview.
Former operator of Manga Village
‘I personally don’t agree with the verdict and I don’t regret it at all as I believe it disregarded the grounds.’
-What is the timetable for payment once the judgment is finalised?
Former operator of Mangamura
‘I have no intention of paying anything at all.
They are considering an appeal.
On the other hand, the publishers…
Representatives of the three plaintiff companies
‘I think it has been very effective in the sense that a huge piracy site originating in Japan has been eliminated.’
They say that going to court was a major deterrent to rights infringement.