The Japanese media group KADOKAWA has been taking increased action against anime piracy for some time now – and a current court case now shows how seriously this issue is now being taken. We summarize.
Clear judgment
The operator of a piracy website was recently found guilty of copyright infringement by the Tokyo District Court after publishing detailed synopses of the anime series “Overlord.”
The defendant, a male manager, received a suspended prison sentence of one year and six months. He was also fined 1 million yen (around 5,400 euros).
KADOKAWA was supported in the lawsuit by the Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA). The company emphasizes that the action is aimed specifically at commercial copyright infringements.
Clear message to the industry
In the present case, the court saw exactly this intention confirmed: the defendant knowingly operated the website in order to make a profit through advertising revenue and thus gain a financial advantage.
He didn’t limit himself to brief synopses, but rather published detailed, text-based renditions of complete episodes of “Overlord III.” These included, among other things, dialogues, plot progressions, character information and essential story developments and were also supplemented by images.
The corresponding content was created between January 2023 and February 2024 and was created with the help of external authors, which underlines a structured approach. As a result, one of these authors was found guilty in July 2025 and sentenced to a fine of 500,000 yen.
The latest ruling sends a clear signal to operators of comparable offers and makes it clear that copyright violations will be consistently punished. However, KADOKAWA also clarified that ordinary fan activities such as discussions or sharing personal impressions remain unaffected.
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© KADOKAWA / Overlord Production Committee