A second phase of Operation Animes, an offshoot of Brazil’s ongoing Operation 404 anti-piracy operation, was conducted on April 25, focusing on Japanese Anime and Korean Webtoon animation works. The first phase of Operation Animes was conducted in two parts during the first quarter of 2023.
Eleven search-and-seizure warrants were executed by civil police of Alagoas, Ceará, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo; with the objective to capture computers and hard drives to use as evidence of copyright infringement crimes. Two sites were “blocked and/or suspended” and the infringing content was de-indexed from search engines.
According to Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security, the action was part of a mobilization coordinated by the Directorate of Integrated Operations and Intelligence (Diopi), through the Laboratory of Cybernetic Operations (Ciberlab), of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP).
Additional support was provided by the Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA), an association based in Japan and from the Korea Copyright Protection Association (KCOPA), of South Korea which represents rights-holders in those respective countries.
Efforts between these parties have been ongoing. In 2023, CODA and KCOPA met together with LTAHub, a Brazilian anti-piracy organization, at CODA’s Japan headquarters. CODA has been working with Brazilian government agencies since a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between them in 2017.
Further reading
Second phase of Operation Animes against piracy is carried out. Press release. April 25, 2024 (updated April 26, 2024). Ministry of Justice and Public Security (Brazil)
Operation Animes Part 2: Another 36 anime piracy sites shut down by Brazil Operation 404. Article. April 24, 2023. by Steven Hawley. Piracy Monitor
Why it matters
The founding premise of Brazil’s Operation 404 and its Operation Animes offshoots, is to make infringing content unavailable. On the World Wide Web, an HTTP ‘404 error’ means that an item is not found.
In Brazil, the penalty for those who commit this crime is imprisonment, from two to four years, and a fine (art. 184, §3º of the Brazilian Criminal Code). Those investigated may also be indicted for criminal association (art. 288 – CP) and money laundering (art. 1º – Law 9.613/1998).
