War Against Illegal Sharing of Webtoons and Web novels
War Against Illegal Sharing of Webtoons and Web novels
  • Reporter Yang Seo-Yeon
  • 승인 2022.11.13 01:02
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▲Illustration of someone downloading contents illegally / iStock
▲Illustration of someone downloading contents illegally / iStock

 The webtoon and web novel industry, which are integral parts of  K-content, is suffering due to the infringement of intellectual property (IP) as the illegal distribution of content prevails. Webtoon platforms such as Naver and Kakao are responding in earnest by filing criminal charges. Still, critics point out that fundamental measures are needed as IP are often difficult to detect.
 According to the Korea Copyright Protection Agency (KCOPA)’s "Research Report on Copyright Infringement Investigation and Response Plan," the number of illegal webtoon sites has increased from three in 2016 to 107 in 2017. The increase slowed down in 2018, but it surged again, with 272 sites in 2020. Web novels are also actively distributed illegally through Telegram and Discord.
 To prevent such illegal distribution, Naver Webtoon tracks the ID of users who captured images through artificial intelligence (AI) technology 'ToonRader'. ToonRadar is a system that identifies and blocks the first illegal leakers by inserting user identification information invisible on webtoon images. Naver Webtoon has researched and developed this technology and has been using it to track illegal webtoon replicas at home and abroad since July 2017. In the case of Kakao Entertainment, illegal distribution is tracked by applying watermark technology to content.
 On the other hand, web novels organized by text has a smaller capacity than webtoons, and copying the text as it is virtually insufficient to prevent illegal copying. Hundreds of web novels were illegally distributed on a novel information-sharing website by using a repository called the MEGA cloud through posts. Kakao Entertainment restricts attempts to illegally distribute text files through encrypted communication technology. For example, an electronic publication (e-PUB) file is encrypted, so it cannot be accessed even when decrypted. The Naver series also prevents unauthorized exploitation of web novels by encrypting e-PUB files. In the case of illegal distribution monitoring, it is still being carried out by humans. However, the Naver series is developing an AI tracking system that can be applied in the future.
 The government is also taking the lead in eradicating illegal content distribution. The KCOPA is taking administrative measures by investigating the online service provider's information, and recommending corrections to online service providers after deliberation by the review committee. They are conducting a joint investigation with Interpol to catch illegal content distributors overseas. For example, the government closed illegal webtoon sites and detained suspects in April in cooperation with Interpol and Morocco's enforcement agencies. Site operators have illegally distributed webtoon materials in Korean, Spanish, and Japanese.
 To improve public awareness, the government is campaigning for copyright protection. Kim Chan, an official of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism said, "The site is rampant because users access the site without knowing it is illegal." He then said, "The act of accessing is a structure that provides financial help to illegal site operators. I hope that users will not access these sites and only access normally operated sites."