The NHεntai websiteknown for its vast catalog of adult manga and doujinshi, has been sued for copyright infringement. The lawsuit was filed by PCR Distributing, a California-based company that operates several hentai brands, including J18 and JAST USA. The company alleges that NHεntai fails to respond to content takedown notices, known as DMCA notices, which has led to a legal dispute.
NHεntai is one of the most visited sites in its category, with almost 80 million visits in June of this year alone.Despite its popularity, the site has been flagged for sharing copyrighted material without proper authorization from the owners. PCR Distributing considers NHεntai a significant threat to its operation as the site does not allow users to upload content, making it difficult to enforce certain legal protections.
In an attempt to resolve the conflict outside the courts, NHεntai proposed a confidential settlement to PCR in October 2023. However, this offer was rejected, and PCR insisted that pirated copies of its works be withdrawn. Despite formal requests for withdrawal, NHεntai allegedly failed to remove any of the infringing works.
The situation has escalated with a lawsuit filed last week in a federal court in California. PCR accuses NHεntai of several forms of copyright infringement and is seeking damages, as well as broad injunctions that could result in the site being shut down. This injunction could also force intermediaries, such as search engines and internet service providers, to block access to NHεntai's domain in the United States.
In a previous legal move, PCR obtained a DMCA subpoena to force Cloudflare to reveal the identity of the operators behind NHεntaiHowever, NHεntai's lawyers managed to stop this process, arguing that the subpoena should not have been granted.
NHεntai has not yet publicly responded to the lawsuit, though it is expected to do so soon given its history of opposition in previous legal proceedings. Meanwhile, the lawsuit poses serious challenges for the site's future, as an unfavorable decision could lead to its closure in the United States and possibly globally.
The dispute also highlights a broader problem in the anime and manga industry: The growing popularity of these formats has been accompanied by an increase in piracy.which affects creators and distributors trying to protect their copyrights.
Fountain: Torrent Freak
