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Kakao Entertainment Shuts Down 11 Piracy Sites, Deletes 160 Million Illegal Works in 1st Half of 2025
posted on by Wonhee Cho
Kakao Entertainment, the parent company of webtoon platform Tapas, announced on August 19 that it shut down 11 piracy websites worldwide and deleted more than 160 million illegally distributed works in the first half of 2025, as part of its ongoing global anti-piracy campaign.
The company detailed its latest results in the 7th Anti-Piracy White Paper, outlining how it tracks and disrupts piracy networks through a three-step strategy: Targeting illegal sites, Tracing operators, and inducing Takedowns through voluntary closure or legal action. Since establishing its anti-piracy task force in 2021, Kakao Entertainment has identified operators behind more than 130 sites, leading to the closure of 29.
A key tool has been open-source intelligence (OSINT) — collecting and analyzing digital traces left across domains, servers, and social media. Kakao has used this information to cooperate with Interpol and law enforcement agencies in China, Vietnam, Brazil, Spain, and other countries, pressuring operators and securing mass content removals.
Kakao Entertainment stated one of the most significant shutdowns in the first half of this year was the shutdown in May of Reaper Scans, a major English-language hub for pirated webtoons and web novels with an estimated 10 million monthly visits and an estimated US$500 million in damages.
Kakao Entertainment also confirmed it is pursuing lawsuits and criminal complaints against piracy site operators in China, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, Brazil, and Spain, signaling an aggressive legal strategy alongside technical crackdowns.
The company emphasized that protecting creators and preserving fair distribution channels remains central to its mission, as webtoons and web novels continue to expand in global popularity.
Source: YNA (Se-Won Lee)
