AnimeSuki (from Japanese ''anime'' and is a

website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Wikip ...

and once considered "... the largest database of BitTorrent anime shows" that focused on providing unlicensed

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

fansub A fansub (short for fan-subtitled) is a version of a foreign film or foreign television program, typically anime or dorama which has been translated by fans (as opposed to an officially licensed translation done by paid professionals) and subtitl ...

s using the BitTorrent

peer-to-peer Peer-to-peer (P2P) computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads between peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the network. They are said to form a peer-to-peer ...

system. The website was created by GHDpro on December 26, 2002. Animesuki was not a tracker; instead, it provided links to many trackers across the web. It did not list

pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

or series that had been licensed in North America. However, in 2013 it stopped maintaining its database of torrents, and the forums remain as the only active part of the site.

Legal status

The site only linked to anime that had not been licensed by any American companies. Once a title was licensed, the corresponding fansub links were removed from the site and the series was listed on its licensed list. Nonetheless, although none of the files were hosted on the site itself, AnimeSuki could be held accountable for violating copyright law, as linking to sites that themselves infringe on the law has been considered a form of contributory infringement in the United States ( Intellectual Reserve v. Utah Lighthouse Ministry). Though fansubs are technically copyright violations, AnimeSuki's legal page alleges that the

WTO The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...

TRIPS Agreement The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) is an international legal agreement between all the member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It establishes minimum standards for the regulation by nat ...

specifies that the distribution of copyrighted material is only necessarily illegal when done on a commercial scale, thus making it difficult for anyone besides the copyright holder to prosecute fansubbers. To date, only one Japanese company,

Media Factory , formerly is a Japanese publisher and brand company of Kadokawa Future Publishing. History It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd. Media Factory was poss ...

, has requested its content removed from the site. However, Funimation and

Kadokawa Pictures USA Kadokawa Daiei Studio, formerly is the film division of the Japanese company the Kadokawa Corporation. It is one of the four members of the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (MPPAJ), and is therefore one of Japan's Big Four film studi ...

have also sent them separate cease and desist letters concerning several titles, which were promptly removed. In Singapore,

Odex Odex Pte. Ltd. is a Singapore-based company that licenses and releases anime for local and regional Southeast Asian consumption. Odex was established in 1987 and set up its Anime Distribution department in 2000, selling anime in Singapore. ...

has targeted AnimeSuki's users with legal action. AnimeSuki was also known for erring on the side of caution regarding licenses. Even though some series such as '' Hanaukyo Maids'' were not initially licensed, AnimeSuki kept them from being listed because of the likelihood that Geneon would secure the rights to it.

Present

Over time, AnimeSuki experienced a decline in new fansub entries, due to various changes in online anime distribution, such as preference to download episodes directly from translators' websites, competition with other database websites, frequent updates, and disbandment of translation groups. Fan translations have further declined, as more anime became licensed and professionally translated for official release worldwide. And since the growing popularity of video streaming websites such as Crunchyroll,

HIDIVE Sentai Filmworks, LLC or just Sentai, is an American entertainment company owned by AMC Networks. Located in Houston, the company specializes in the dubbing and distribution of Japanese animation and Asian cinema. Its post-production arm is ...

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service p ...

and

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

, which provide licensed anime and can stream to

smartphones A smartphone is a Mobile device, portable computer device that combines Mobile phone, mobile telephone and Mobile computing, computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities ...

, AnimeSuki has ceased all updates and activity. As of February 15, 2019, the main website is closed. However, as of 2023, the discussion boards remain active.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Animesuki Internet properties established in 2002 Anime and manga websites BitTorrent websites

Legal status

Present

See also

References

External links