Chinese authorities have recently taken swift and decisive action to shut down B9GOOD, a website notorious for hosting pirated versions of Japanese animation, at the request of a Japanese industry group known as the Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA). The website was launched in 2008 and quickly became a popular destination for accessing Japanese anime, with Japanese users accounting for about 95% of its total access figures.
In response to CODA’s request, Chinese authorities have begun an investigation into four people living in China who are suspected of running B9GOOD. This is the first time that China’s law enforcement has taken action against operators of a Chinese-based site containing pirated content based on information provided by the Japanese side. The investigation is ongoing, with the Chinese authorities taking steps to ensure that this type of copyright infringement is not tolerated.
The site was accessed more than 300 million times over the two-year period leading up to February 2023, with a single-month peak of 15.8 million. CODA had made requests for the site to delete around 10,000 items since 2016, but received no response, prompting the group to conduct an investigation of their own to identify the operators in January 2022. This led to six major producers, including NHK, Toho Co., and Toei Animation Co., asking CODA to take legal action, and eventually criminal charges were filed with Chinese authorities in September of that same year. The result of the crackdown on B9GOOD is a major milestone and will be of great help in reinforcing measures against pirate sites in the future. Furthermore, it is hoped that this will act as a deterrent to others who may be tempted to engage in similar illegal activities. The effects of this crackdown should not be underestimated and it is hoped that it will contribute to the fight against piracy in the long run.