They are trying to close NHentai in court
We recently reported that an adult manga publisher was trying to find out the identity of the people who operate the NHentai website. It’s time to give an update on this issue, since they want to shut down NHentai in court.
Manga and hentai copyright holders are increasingly concerned about the unauthorized distribution of their works. To combat piracy, many resort to sending DMCA notices to pirate platforms, requesting that the illegal content be removed. However, not all platforms comply with these requests.
They are trying to close NHentai in court
Manga and hentai copyright holders are increasingly concerned about the unauthorized distribution of their works. To combat piracy, many send DMCA takedown notices to pirate platforms requesting the removal of illegal content. However, not all platforms comply with these requests.
A California-based company called PCR Distributing, which operates under brands like J18 and JAST USA, is one of the victims of piracy. The company views nHentai as a major threat to its business and recently obtained a DMCA subpoena requesting Cloudflare to reveal the identities of the site’s operators, who allegedly ignored takedown notices.
However, lawyers representing nHentai argued that the operators’ personal data should not be disclosed, and the case remains pending in court.
New Copyright Infringement Lawsuit
In addition to the subpoena, PCR filed a formal lawsuit in California, accusing nHentai of copyright infringement. According to the company, the site shares protected material without permission, attracting millions of visitors each month.
The lawsuit argues that nHentai cannot claim DMCA protections because the site does not allow user-uploaded content. Therefore, nHentai is not considered a “service provider” protected by copyright law.
Failed Settlement Attempt
Interestingly, last year, lawyers representing nHentai attempted to resolve the case confidentially. They proposed a settlement to end the copyright infringement claims, but PCR declined, insisting that the pirated content be removed.
So far, PCR alleges that nHentai has not removed any of the infringing works, despite multiple DMCA takedown notices being sent.
Request for Damages and Site Shutdown
PCR seeks financial compensation for the damages caused by piracy and a broad injunction to effectively shut down the site. Additionally, the company requests the transfer of the nHentai.net domain or, if not possible, that intermediaries block access to the site in the United States.
As of now, nHentai has yet to respond to the lawsuit, but a defense is expected soon.
via: TorrentFreak