Prominent Shonen Jump Pirate Handed Prison Sentence by Chinese Court

Spencer Baculi   |  

Apr 30, 2020

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The administrator of a prominent Chinese manga piracy site has been sentenced to three years in prison for regularly leaking scans of Weekly Shonen Jump manga issues.

The decision was handed down by the Shanghai Xuhui People’s Court last Friday, April 24^th, who sentenced the administrator to three years in prison.

However, this sentence was suspended, which will only see the administrator serving prison time if convicted again within three years.

The court also issued a fine of 80,000 yuan , or $11,000 USD.

The administrator is also facing legal action in civil court by Shueisha, the publisher of Weekly Shonen Jump, who are seeking damages.

According to reports, the defendant has since admitted his guilt, written a letter of apology, and agreed to pay the damages being sought by Shueisha.

Opening in 2013, the site in question would often post Chinese-translated scans of Weekly Shonen Jump issues days ahead of their official Japanese release.

The pirated manga site was also monetized, earning revenue by serving ads to its over 400,000 unique users.