Every Major Anime Piracy Site to Shut Down in 2026 (So Far); CBR, September 25, 2026

Ami Nazru, CBR; Every Major Anime Piracy Site to Shut Down in 2026 (So Far)

"Online piracy is hydra-headed -- shut down one domain, and several alternatives emerge to replace it. For years, viewers have relied on this logic to brush off copyright crackdowns as minor disruptions, believing that their favorite anime streaming portals won’t stay missing for long.

While that pattern held true for years, 2026 saw the smooth-sailing ecosystem get rocked as rights holders brought down the hammer against some of the largest illegal anime streaming websites across the globe.

Unbeknownst to fans, piracy watchdogs applied sustained legal pressure behind the scenes to target even the backend structure of these sites. What began as a whack-a-mole operation had now snowballed into a coordinated effort that dismantled and cut off these networks from their audience."

Japan aims to lift intellectual property competitiveness via AI use; The Mainichi, June 3, 2025

 The Mainichi; Japan aims to lift intellectual property competitiveness via AI use

"The Japanese government said Tuesday it will seek to enhance the country's competitiveness in the area of intellectual property by promoting the use of artificial intelligence and attracting foreign talent.

In the intellectual property strategy for 2025, the country will take advantage of the international popularity of Japanese anime and the content of such movies that highlights local culture to help promote regional economies, expecting a total economic impact of around 1 trillion yen ($7.0 billion)."