Back in September, we reported on how NHentai.net, one of the most notorious piracy hubs for Japanese adult content and hentai doujinshi, was hit with a lawsuit by PCR Distributing, aiming to shut the platform down over copyright infringement claims. Notably, PCR Distributing is the parent company of JAST USA, a publisher specializing in licensing, translating, and distributing Japanese visual novels and eroge for Western audiences.
While court cases often drag on, new developments have emerged, NHentai.net has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. PCR Distributing accuses NHentai of hosting copyrighted material without authorization, arguing that this threatens its business. Thankfully, NHentai is pushing back, claiming that PCR lacks sufficient ownership over the copyrights in question and asserting that they had previously been granted permission to host the disputed content.
Establishing legal ownership of the disputed works is a fundamental prerequisite for initiating a copyright infringement lawsuit. NHentai‘s defense team exposed several discrepancies, pointing out that public records identified JAST USA, not PCR as the official copyright holder for certain works. JAST USA, the defense argued, was a distinct corporate entity with separate ownership and operations, which directly undercut PCR’s ownership claims.
Additionally, NHentai asserted that PCR failed to produce any documentation proving that JAST USA had transferred or licensed enforcement rights to them. The motion dismissed vague references to “negotiating contracts” as wholly insufficient to establish legitimate ownership or exclusive rights.
The defense further emphasized that multiple copyright registrations listed JAST USA, not PCR, as the rightful claimant, casting serious doubt on PCR’s legal standing to sue. Moreover, the motion raised key concerns about the vague nature of PCR’s copyright claims:
The defense criticized PCR for failing to establish a clear connection between the allegedly copyrighted works and the content available on NHentai.net, arguing that this lack of specificity left both the defendants and the court unable to properly evaluate the claims. Adding to the case’s weaknesses, NHentai pointed out that some of the registered copyrights were classified as “literary works,” which, under U.S. copyright law, explicitly exclude images.
Since the lawsuit was primarily focused on images shared on NHentai.net, this misclassification further undermined PCR’s arguments. Additionally, the motion raised doubts about the validity of certain copyright registrations, noting that they applied only to English translations of original works, which might not even cover the images in question, especially since NHentai themselves generally hosts and provides adult doujinshi content in various languages from Japanese to Chinese and Spanish.
In a particularly damaging revelation, NHentai presented evidence that PCR representatives had explicitly granted permission for their content to be hosted on the platform. Communications from 2020, including exchanges with J18 and JAST USA, confirmed that these entities had authorized NHentai to distribute their works, casting further doubt on PCR’s infringement claims.
One email explicitly stated that it “isn’t a takedown request or a DMCA,” further acknowledging that piracy played a role in establishing a market for anime and manga in the West. Additional emails revealed that PCR had even explored placing banner advertisements on NHentai.net to promote its products. The defense argued that PCR had been aware of the alleged use of its works since at least 2020, citing the permissions granted at the time.
Given this awareness, they asserted that many of PCR’s claims were barred by the three-year statute of limitations under the U.S. Copyright Act.
NHentai argued that the continued availability of works on its site did not constitute fresh or separate acts of infringement, asserting that any claims were already time-barred under the statute of limitations. Additionally, the defense moved to dismiss all claims related to NHentai.to, maintaining that it operated independently with no direct ties to NHentai.net, an argument often seen in cases involving piracy and copyright enforcement.
For decades, copyright holders have struggled to combat piracy, torrents, and platforms hosting such content, with NHentai itself having removed over 12,000 galleries, including works from doujinshi circles affiliated with commercialized platforms like FAKKU.
However, NHentai’s purge a year ago extended beyond those creators, also targeting loli and shota material, reinforcing the necessity of private archiving rather than reliance on publicly accessible hosts like NHentai.net. However, if you’re looking for an alternative, nothing comes close to the size and inclusivity of what ExHentai provides.
Meanwhile, alternative sites such as NHentai.to have surfaced, resembling the original while offering content that was previously removed from NHentai.net. This highlights the futility of copyright crackdowns, as eliminating one platform invariably leads to the emergence of others, whether dealing with unauthorized manga translations, piracy hubs like KissAnime, or, in this case, the illegal distribution of Japanese adult doujinshi manga.
They emphasized that its inclusion in the lawsuit was irrelevant and should be dismissed outright.
NHentai strongly opposed PCR’s attempt to seize ownership of the Nhentai.net domain, condemning the request as overreaching. PCR Distribution also sought a DMCA subpoena to compel Cloudflare to disclose the identities of those operating NHentai.net, a move the site’s operators dismissed as excessive and baseless.
The site noted that it hosted over 500,000 pages, while PCR’s claims involved less than 1% of the total content. The defense argued that forcing a domain transfer over such a minor percentage of alleged infringement was completely unwarranted. Furthermore, they pointed out that granting PCR control over the domain would interfere with existing contracts with other companies, further illustrating the absurdity of the demand.
PCR has yet to respond to Nhentai’s motion to dismiss but is expected to file a reply soon. The court will then assess the arguments presented by both sides to decide whether the case will proceed or be dismissed. The outcome of this case could set a major precedent for how copyright disputes involving online platforms are handled moving forward.
