Cross-border Law Enforcement Takes Down Giant Anime Piracy Site HiAnime, Marking Milestone for Global IP Protection

The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), led by the Motion Picture Association (MPA), officially announced the arrest of seven core operators behind HiAnime, once the world’s largest unauthorized free anime streaming website, by Vietnamese public security authorities. The platform has been permanently shut down, and this cross-border crackdown sets a landmark precedent for coordinated global intellectual property enforcement to safeguard anime creators and copyright holders worldwide.

Massive Infringement Scale of the Criminal Ring

HiAnime operated under multiple aliases to evade supervision: it originated as Zoro.to, rebranded to Aniwatch in July 2023, and adopted the name HiAnime in March 2024. At its peak, the platform recorded 364 million monthly visits and ranked 120th globally among all websites. Even before its sudden shutdown in March 2026, it retained over 150 million monthly active users, outperforming licensed streaming platforms including Crunchyroll and Disney+ in traffic volume.

Joint investigations by multi-nation authorities uncovered that from 2020 to April 2026, the criminal group ran more than 100 interlinked pirate websites, illegally hosting and disseminating over 26,000 copyrighted anime and film titles. The ring generated approximately 12.85 million US dollars in illegal revenue solely from online advertisements. After the platform went offline without warning in March 2026 with a farewell message posted on its homepage, the operators attempted to relaunch the service under new domain names, yet all plans were foiled by joint US-Vietnamese tracking. Shortly before its collapse, HiAnime was listed on the U.S. Trade Representative’s notorious markets watchlist as a top global piracy target.

Closed-loop Cross-border Joint Law Enforcement

The arrest operation was led by Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security, including the Criminal Investigation Department for Economic Crimes (C03) and the Cybersecurity & High-Tech Crime Prevention Department (A05). U.S. Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of Justice provided full technical, intelligence and judicial support, while major Japanese copyright holders such as Shueisha submitted critical evidence for litigation. Investigators secured complete digital proof of unauthorized reproduction and public communication of copyrighted works, and the seven detained suspects will face formal prosecution.

ACE issued an official statement commending Vietnam’s law enforcement efforts, and confirmed long-term collaborative anti-piracy mechanisms will be deepened with Southeast Asian authorities. This operation comes amid a global wave of crackdowns on anime and manhwa piracy: South Korean and Vietnamese law enforcement previously dismantled three major illegal manhwa portals — Harimanga, Manhwaclan and Kunmanga — demonstrating regular cross-border coordination against digital copyright violations.

Far-reaching Significance for Global Anime IP Ecosystem

1. Safeguard Creators’ Income and Revitalize Industrial Profit Chains Every anime IP requires enormous investment in scriptwriting, illustration, animation production and global distribution. Pirate platforms exploit original content without compensation, diverting legal traffic, eroding copyright revenue and discouraging animators and artists from creating new works. The elimination of HiAnime cuts off a massive transnational piracy pipeline, curbs massive industry losses, and ensures creators receive fair commercial returns to fuel original content innovation.
2. Standardize Global Online Content Circulation and Eliminate Piracy’s Safe Haven This case dismantles the grey-area model where pirate sites repeatedly switch domains and overseas servers to evade supervision. It verifies that cross-border intelligence tracing and joint investigation can achieve full-chain suppression of infringement. No individuals or organizations operating unauthorized streaming platforms can escape judicial accountability across borders, delivering a powerful deterrent to similar criminal networks worldwide.
3. Guide Audiences to Adopt Legal Streaming Habits Unlicensed pirate platforms carry hidden risks such as malicious ads and user data theft, plus unstable access caused by frequent domain shutdowns. Licensed services including Crunchyroll, Netflix and Disney+ offer complete official libraries with subtitled and dubbed episodes, with all subscription revenue reinvested back into new anime production. Industry advocates encourage audiences to abandon unlicensed resources and choose legitimate platforms to eliminate the demand foundation of piracy.
4. Set a Model for International Intellectual Property Cooperation As cross-border distribution of anime IP becomes mainstream, single-country regulation can hardly curb transnational piracy. The U.S.-Vietnam joint operation establishes a standardized workflow for intelligence sharing, coordinated investigation and synchronized prosecution, offering a replicable template for future IP collaboration between China, Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States, accelerating the implementation of unified global copyright protection rules.

Industry Outlook: Expanding Legal Channels Unlock Full IP Commercial Value

The global anime market continues steady growth, with Hollywood studios and mainstream streaming platforms ramping up investment in anime adaptations and original animation, making IP derivative businesses a core growth engine of cultural entertainment. Boosted by intensified copyright enforcement worldwide, licensed streaming services keep expanding exclusive seasonal anime and simultaneous global releases, with sustainable business models including paid subscriptions, official merchandise and offline expos thriving. Industry analysts predict sustained anti-piracy pressure will redirect the industry’s focus to high-quality content creation, driving healthy and long-term growth of global anime cultural and creative sectors.