Recently, a Twitter user @AsarathaHS revealed that Anime giants Toho and Aniplex have taken legal action to identify those responsible for leaking anime episodes before their official releases. According to the information shared, both companies have filed a request for a subpoena to allow Twitter to provide information about 12 accounts linked to the unauthorized dissemination of content. This is a clear effort by the companies to take legal action against alleged infringers.

In the documentation presented by Toho and Aniplex, 12 Twitter accounts named for allegedly sharing images and content from anime episodes before their premiere. The accounts listed include:

• @WERLeaks / @msthshra / @\IDuckyx / @Nakayasee / @knyesta / @Saara Adam21 / @Snowz7x / @seveninone71 / @jobisky / @SinzsSzn2 / @Root25257968 / @mamutchiq2030

The legal process: a subpoena for user information

These accounts have been flagged as possible responsible for publishing unauthorized images of episodes before the release datewhich constitutes a violation of the producers' copyright. Furthermore, Toho and Aniplex identified three main methods used to detect these leaks:

1. Publication of unauthorized images of episodes before their premiere.
2. Use of intentionally incorrect information in credits to catch those who leak the content.
3. Embedding watermarks in episodes that allow us to track the origin of the leaks.

Because Toho and Aniplex are foreign companies, their ability to legally subpoena Twitter and obtain the offending user data is limited. For this reason, they requested a subpoena that would allow them to access the personal data of the accounts in question, in order to subsequently proceed with legal action. Among the data they seek to obtain are:

• THE names of users.
• THE email addresses associated with accounts, including those used for password recovery.
• THE phone numbers linked to accounts.
• THE payment methods registered.
• THE account access recordswhich include IP addresses and access type.

The information was obtained through Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER)a tool that allows access to public court records. This makes it clear that the case is in a serious stage of investigation.

What's next for investigated accounts?

Toho and Aniplex are seeking to gather as much information as possible about these accounts so that, once identified, they can pursue civil action against the alleged leakers. Without this data, companies cannot take formal legal action against users who shared content without authorization.

It's important to note that the Toho and Aniplex investigation focuses exclusively on leaked anime episodes, not manga, and legal proceedings in these cases are often slow. In fact, many point out that this process may have been underway for some time. Furthermore, Shogakukan filed a second subpoena on August 20th, although details of the accounts under investigation in this case have not yet been released.

Some users noted that the accounts mentioned are not directly linked to the current leaks, but could have been detected by one of the detection methods used by the companiessuch as posting watermarked images. Even if the users weren't directly responsible for the leaks, sharing images with embedded watermarks could have been enough to bring them under investigation.

This case highlights the growing efforts of anime producers to protect their intellectual property in the digital age.where leaks can seriously harm both the commercial impact and narrative control of releases.

Source: @AsarathaHS on Twitter