Crunchyroll has been looking to strengthen its battle against anime piracy since at least July as it looks for a Vice President, Content Protection & Anti-Piracy, to “define and lead [its] global strategy” and establish the company’s “long-term vision, operating model, technology roadmap, and strategic partnerships that help us stay ahead of evolving threats while supporting the continued growth of our business.“
Perhaps of note, Crunchyroll is looking for someone with hands-on experience with YouTube Content ID, Meta Rights Manager, and the Google Trusted Copyright Removal Program (TCRP). They will oversee AI-enabled enforcement and build relationships with digital platforms, hosting providers, registrars, CDN providers, payment processors, and industry organizations. As a leading licensee outside of Asia, Crunchyroll’s anime library is among the most pirated globally.
In related news: CODA, Japan’s leading anti-piracy organization, comprising numerous major anime and publishing companies, recently agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IP House, a global copyright enforcement organization. CODA noted in its announcement that it worked with IP House on Operation Animes, an enforcement operation in Brazil that CODA says led to the shutdown of dozens of sites.
Among IP House’s aims is getting foreign site-blocking laws enacted (report, 2024), which have proved polarizing. IP holders can quickly protect their content through court orders blocking access to illegal websites operating overseas. However, IP address sharing is commonplace. As a result, in Europe, for example, access to numerous legitimate sites has been disabled as collateral (report, Electronic Freedom Foundation). Meanwhile, expedited blocking processes raise questions about accuracy, while proving that a site is operated from overseas is open to debate (or exploitation). Multiple site-blocking bills are currently being advanced in the U.S. See Torrent Freak’s reporting on the topic.
Also in Japan, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) published a five-year plan to strengthen its annual overseas sales of Japanese content to 20 trillion yen by 2033. To achieve this, one of the (many) plans includes strengthening anti-piracy measures through overseas diplomatic missions, human re
