Company's "4th Illegal Distribution Response White Paper" Reports Removal of 208 Million Materials Over Seven Months

Courtesy of Reddit

Kakao Entertainment, a major player in the webtoon industry, announced on Monday the deletion of a record-breaking 208 million illegally distributed web novels and webtoons over a seven-month period from June to December 2023. The company's global anti-piracy team, known as "P.CoK," was responsible for removing 7 million web novels and webtoons, along with 201 million links leading to websites engaged in the unauthorized distribution of such content. 

▲ A list of content distributed on illegal distribution site Flamescans / Courtesy of RedditThis deletion milestone marks the highest number since Kakao Entertainment began documenting its crackdown efforts through the publication of white papers in 2022. The previous "3rd Illegal Distribution Response White Paper," covering November 2022 to May 2023, reported a total removal of 14 million illegal links and content.

In its latest white paper, Kakao Entertainment highlighted legal actions taken against overseas operators of illegal websites to prevent further dissemination of copyrighted material. The company identified operators of two illegal webtoon distribution sites in China, submitting relevant documents to local courts. Additionally, in Thailand, Kakao Entertainment temporarily froze accounts of illegal website operators and is in the process of initiating criminal lawsuits against the identified individuals.

Lee Ho-joon, the head of Kakao Entertainment's P.CoK team, expressed the company's commitment to collaborate with domestic and international investigative agencies. The goal is to apprehend operators, establish processes for identifying illegal site operators, and fulfill the responsibility to protect copyrights, aiming to alleviate the challenges faced by webtoon and web novel creators due to illegal distribution.

According to a survey by the Korea Creative Content Agency, the market size of illegal webtoon distribution in 2022 amounted to 721 billion won ($538 million). Kakao Entertainment's recent actions align with broader industry efforts, as demonstrated by Naver Webtoon's application for subpoenas in July 2023 to halt the activities of around 360 operators of illegal sites, resulting in the deletion or cessation of approximately 150 illegal webtoon sharing sites within three months.

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