Several major anime piracy websites, including Anitaku (also known as Gogoanime), are now facing legal pressure from the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), a coalition of media giants like Netflix, Amazon, and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
ACE has filed subpoena requests against Cloudflare and Tonic, companies involved in hosting the domains of these piracy sites. Anitaku, which recorded 158 million visits in November 2024, is one of the most popular sites targeted.
The subpoena request also targets other major piracy sites, including “aniworld.to” (30 million visits), “animeworld.so” (5.2 million), and “gogoanime3.cc” (59.5 million), with a combined total of 272.5 million monthly visits. When including Chinese-language sites like “gimy.ai” and “chinaq.tv,” the total rises to 374.8 million visits.
Anitaku has recently raised concerns after it stopped updating with new episodes on November 24, 2024, leading to speculation about the site’s future.
The sudden halt follows a year of significant shutdowns, including Aniwave and Aniwatch, both of which previously attracted millions of visitors.
Despite these efforts, piracy sites continue to adapt, with some rebranding or creating copycat sites, making it difficult for anti-piracy organizations to fully curb illegal streaming.
While piracy site shutdowns may disrupt user communities, they can also encourage some viewers to move to legal streaming platforms.
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