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Naver WEBTOON Cooperates With Korea's MCST, Interpol to Take Down 3 English Webtoon, Manga Piracy Sites
posted on by Wonhee Cho
Naver WEBTOON announced on August 13 that three major English-language websites illegally distributing webtoons and manga have been taken down through cooperation with South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; INTERPOL; and law enforcement authorities in North Africa. The operators of the sites were also arrested. Naver WEBTOON did not reveal the names of the websites.
The three sites, which were operated by the same group in North Africa, targeted audiences in the United States, Europe, and other Western markets. They were found to have illegally scanned and translated more than 300 popular webtoons.
According to Similarweb data, the three sites collectively received more than 130 million visits annually, with more than 20 million visits recorded over the past three months.
Naver WEBTOON's Anti-Piracy team had monitored the sites and gathered evidence of copyright infringement after multiple existing sites were consolidated and rebranded under new domains in an apparent attempt to evade enforcement. The company provided information and evidence to authorities, leading to the international investigation and subsequent takedown.
The sites reportedly served as primary sources for unauthorized scans and translations that were later redistributed across other piracy websites. The operators are currently undergoing legal proceedings in the local jurisdiction.
Source: Naver WEBTOON's press release
