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Digital Manga, Inc. Listed as Suspended by Secretary of State in California

ANN confirmed with the Secretary of State of California that the Digital Manga, Inc. company has been suspended as of December 29, 2017. The suspended status is current as of May 2, 2018. ANN reached out to Digital Manga, Inc. several times for comment but has not heard back as of press time.

Businesses usually have this status for failing to turn in Statements of Information, which are required by California law every year for domestic stock companies such as Digital Manga, Inc. The company's most recent Statement of Information was filed on April 8, 2015. Only one other Statement of Information, from 2011, is on file. The documents ANN received from the California Secretary of State confirm that this is the reason for the company's suspension.

Less commonly, a business may be suspended for failing to reimburse the Victims of Corporate Fraud Compensation Fund (VCFCF) for a paid claim, but the documents ANN received from the California Secretary of State confirm that this is not the reason for the company's suspension.

A suspension entails that the business entity's powers, rights, and privileges — including the right to use the entity's name in California — are suspended. The suspension may be lifted by filing the required Statement of Information.

Digital Manga, Inc. registered as a business in California on April 1, 1996. Its publishing imprints include DMP Books (general audience manga), Juné (yaoi), 801 Media (adult yaoi), and Project-H (hentai), among others. The company recently merged its ebook retail website eManga with its physical book retail website Akadot.

The company has recently faced complaints over four stalled Kickstarter campaigns. Digital Manga, Inc. president Hikaru Sasahara issued a statement in March apologizing for the delay on this and other Kickstarter campaigns. Sasahara promised that backers will see all rewards "slowly but steadily."

The company announced on June 5 that it began shipping rewards for the Kimagure Orange Road Kickstarter a week later, starting with lower tiers and working its way up to higher tiers. Digital Manga, Inc. stated on its Kodomo no Jikan Kickstarter on June 9 that it will "make faster progress" once it has completed shipping on Kimagure Orange Road rewards. The company posted similar status updates in June for its Wonder 3 and other manga and Delico Psyche yaoi titles Kickstarters.

Source: Secretary of State of the State of California