From Webtoons to Web Novels... Naver, Kakao Take Strong Measures Against Illegal Distribution

Kakao Entertainment Followed by Naver Webtoon 'Booktokki' Criminal Complaint

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Choi] Following Kakao Entertainment, Naver Webtoon has filed a lawsuit against the operators of 'Booktokki,' the largest illegal web novel distribution website in South Korea. With the two major platforms taking criminal action, they have declared war on illegal distribution.

According to the IT industry on the 20th, Naver Webtoon submitted a complaint against the Booktokki operators to the Cyber Investigation Division of the Southern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency on the 17th.

This follows Kakao Entertainment's criminal complaint against the Booktokki operators on the 29th of last month.

Booktokki is the largest illegal web novel distribution site in South Korea, which appeared in July. It operates by downloading paid web novels and posting them without authorization to earn advertising revenue, thus facing charges of copyright infringement.

As the domestic web novel market rapidly grows, the number of illegal distribution companies parasitizing on it has also significantly increased. Platforms are using web novels as a stepping stone to enter the global market, but they are struggling with companies that translate content into various languages and distribute it for free.

According to the Korea Creative Content Agency, the domestic web novel market reached a scale of 600 billion KRW in 2020, more than tripling compared to 2016. Although the number of web novels exposed to illegal copying and distribution has increased, it has been difficult to conduct crackdowns, and even specific damage assessments have not been made. This is mainly because most operate servers overseas, limiting the effectiveness of domestic crackdowns.

Platform companies are mobilizing all possible measures to monitor illegal distribution and minimize damage.

Kakao Entertainment has cooperated with overseas investigative agencies through its 'Global Illegal Distribution Response Task Force (TF).' They have dedicated personnel for English-speaking, Chinese-speaking, and Indonesian-speaking regions, continuously monitoring illegal content to request post deletions or investigations by local authorities.

Naver Webtoon has introduced the AI tracking system 'ToonDater.' This system embeds tracking programs in webtoons to immediately identify those illegally redistributing content and prevent further redistribution.

Since October last year, eight webtoon platforms have formed the 'Webtoon Illegal Distribution Response Council' to appeal to the government and National Assembly for measures to stop illegal distribution. Participants include Kakao Entertainment, Naver Webtoon, Lezhin Entertainment, RIDI, Kidari Studio, Topco, Toomics, and One Store.

A webtoon industry official said, "Creators suffer tremendous damage, including feelings of deprivation and helplessness, due to unauthorized use of their passionate creations, causing mental distress," adding, "We must eradicate illegal distribution to protect creators' rights and safeguard the content market advancing globally."