Nhentai Operators Must Identify Themselves

Nhentai, one of the internet’s most visited adult anime and manga sites, is now involved in a copyright lawsuit in the United States. The court has ruled that the site’s operators must reveal their identities, rejecting both the request to dismiss the case and to remain anonymous.

Nhentai Faces U.S. Lawsuit

With over 240 million visits in the first quarter alone, Nhentai has become a major platform for hentai content. But its popularity has drawn legal attention. PCR Distributing, known for brands like J18 and JAST USA, filed a lawsuit claiming that the site shares copyrighted works without permission.

The legal battle began after PCR requested a DMCA subpoena from Cloudflare to identify those behind Nhentai. Instead of complying, Nhentai intervened in court, escalating the dispute to the California federal court.

The lawsuit alleges that Nhentai hosts and distributes a wide range of commercial hentai works without proper authorization. The site responded by claiming it had permission to publish some content, showing it wouldn’t back down easily.

Nhentai Operators Must Identify Themselves

In January, Nhentai requested the case be dismissed and also asked to keep its operators anonymous during the proceedings. The defense argued that revealing their names could lead to retaliation, given the plaintiff’s hostility.

However, in February, Magistrate Judge Joel Richlin ruled against the request, stating the defendants didn’t provide sufficient evidence of harm. Judge Cynthia Valenzuela later upheld that decision, noting the public interest in identifying the people behind a site receiving 79 million monthly visits.

Judge Valenzuela also denied the motion to dismiss the copyright infringement claims, concluding that PCR provided enough grounds for the case to continue.

Anti-piracy advocate Jason Tucker from Battleship Stance welcomed the ruling, saying it holds site operators accountable: “You don’t get to profit off someone else’s work and stay hidden.”

The court ordered Nhentai to submit a status report with the names of the defendants within three business days. As of now, no names have been made public in court records.

via Você Sabia Anime