A U.S. court has ordered the disclosure of user information of accounts who have been leaking anime episodes illegally before their official release, particularly that of Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen.
The ruling, issued on Aug 20, 2024, marks the first time a U.S. court has made such an order involving Japanese anime.
The court’s order follows a petition filed by Aniplex Inc. and Toho Co., Ltd., both members of CODA, in June 2024 seeking information on the leak accounts. The companies hold the copyrights to the respective anime series.
CODA played a key role in gathering evidence and supporting the disclosure request.
According to CODA, the leaks, which featured unreleased video content and still images from Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen, were posted by several accounts on X (formerly Twitter) and gained significant traction and large view counts.
According to reports, a total of 12 accounts on X, that had been posting videos and images prior to the anime’s release, have been targeted by this court order.
These accounts were involved in such activities since last year, but had no legal access to the material and posted it without authorization from the rights holders.
CODA has also reported receiving complaints of similar pre-release leaks involving other anime titles and is working with copyright holders to gather further information.
CODA and the affected companies plan to use the disclosed information to identify the owners of the accounts and pursue strict legal action. They aim to seek heavy penalties against those responsible for distributing unauthorized content and to deter future leaks.
Source: CODA, Yomiuri Shimbun