nHentai, a widely frequented adult website drawing millions of visitors each month, is facing legal action for alleged copyright infringement. The lawsuit was initiated by California-based PCR Distributing, which manages multiple hentai brands. The company claims that nHentai has ignored multiple takedown requests for copyrighted material. An earlier attempt to settle the matter quietly fell through.
Growing Popularity of Hentai
Manga and anime have surged in popularity globally, originating from Japan. Hentai, the adult-oriented extension of these forms, has garnered a substantial following. With millions of fans, the demand for hentai content is growing, paralleling the broader media landscape where piracy is rampant. In fact, nHentai.net recorded nearly 80 million visits just this past June.
Concerns of Copyright Holders
Copyright holders are increasingly frustrated with the unauthorized sharing of their works. Many utilize DMCA takedown notices to combat piracy, but some platforms, including nHentai, have allegedly failed to respond adequately.
PCR Distributing Targets nHentai
PCR Distributing, one of the copyright holders, views nHentai as a significant threat to its business. Recently, PCR obtained a DMCA subpoena demanding that Cloudflare reveal the identities of the site’s operators, citing a lack of action on previous takedown requests. The court promptly granted this subpoena, but nHentai’s legal team quickly contested it, arguing against disclosing any personal information.
Currently, the legal proceedings remain active, with nHentai mounting a strong defense. However, the website’s challenges are far from over, as PCR has filed a comprehensive copyright infringement lawsuit.
Details of the Lawsuit
In a complaint lodged last Friday in a California federal court, PCR paints nHentai as a prominent ‘pirate’ platform that distributes copyrighted content without authorization. The complaint states that nHentai attracts over 79 million visitors monthly and hosts a large repository of hentai works, many of which are commercially produced and shared without permission.
PCR contends that nHentai cannot invoke safe harbor protections under the DMCA, as the site does not allow user-generated uploads. “nHentai is not a user-generated content website. There is no user upload capability. Defendants are not ‘service providers’ and thus cannot claim the protections under Section 512 of the [DMCA],” the complaint asserts.
Settlement Negotiations Fail
While the identities of nHentai’s owners remain undisclosed, they are familiar with PCR. In October 2023, nHentai’s legal representatives proposed a confidential settlement to resolve copyright infringement issues, but PCR rejected the offer, insisting that infringing content be removed.
Despite multiple DMCA-compliant takedown notices sent to nHentai, PCR claims that none of the reported URLs have been taken down, as they all remain active.
Seeking Damages and Injunctions
PCR is pursuing damages for copyright infringement and is requesting a broad injunction to effectively shut down nHentai. This injunction would prevent the site from further infringing on PCR’s copyrights and would require the transfer of the nHentai.net domain to PCR. Should a domain transfer not occur, the injunction would also compel third-party intermediaries, including ISPs and search engines, to block access to the site within the U.S.
As of now, nHentai has not responded to the lawsuit, but given its prior opposition to the DMCA subpoena, it is anticipated that a formal response will be forthcoming.
