The global anti-piracy alliance Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), together with the Vietnamese authorities, has achieved great success in the fight against illegal anime websites. We summarize.
Multiple arrests
According to the Vietnamese investigative authorities, a total of seven suspected operators of the piracy network behind HiAnime and numerous other platforms have been caught.
The defendants are accused of having operated a network of more than 100 websites between 2020 and April 2026 on which over 26,000 copyrighted films and series were published without permission.
The platforms recorded millions of hits worldwide and are said to have generated advertising revenue of around 12.85 million USDT (the equivalent of around 11.2 million euros). In order to conceal the origin of the income and make it more difficult for the prosecution authorities to trace it, the operators are said to have used several fraudulent methods.
The investigation is still ongoing. Four of the accused have now been taken into custody, while the remaining three are subject to strict conditions, including a ban on leaving the country, until further notice.
The ACE welcomed the measures taken by the Vietnamese authorities and particularly appreciated the cooperation with the Ministry of Public Security and the investigative authorities involved. The investigation, which lasted several years, also received support from the US Department of Justice and the US Department of Homeland Security.
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Via Bao Ha Tinh
© K. Horikoshi / Shueisha, My Hero Academia Project