Kakao Entertainment's illegal distribution response team (P.CoK) announced on the 19th that it has published the '7th Illegal Distribution Response White Paper,' summarizing its response achievements in the first half of this year (January to June). This white paper includes Kakao's independently established response protocol 'TTT (Targeting, Tracing, Takedown).'
'TTT' is an integrated response system that leads from selecting illegal distribution sites (Targeting) to tracking operators (Tracing), shutting them down and taking legal action (Takedown) in a one-stop manner. It secures the identity and location of the operators and evidence directly, connecting substantial sanctions against organizational operators attempting to repeatedly regenerate and circumvent simple URL deletions with civil and criminal enforcement.
In the first half of this year, Kakao Entertainment closed 11 illegal sites and deleted 160 million illegal contents based on the 'TTT' strategy. Since the launch of the illegal distribution response team, cumulative achievements include identifying over 130 site operators and shutting down 29 of these sites. After shifting the response strategy from 'illegal content deletion' to 'operator sanctions and site blocking,' the results of closing large illegal sites at their source have also become faster.
At the center of this response is OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence). Kakao Entertainment has enhanced the accuracy and speed of operator identification by applying OSINT at the operator tracking stage and combining it with the knowledge and validation processes gained from field responses. This has complemented delays in existing procedures such as subpoenas issued by U.S. courts and requests for information from Internet Service Providers (ISPs) due to differences in national legal systems.
This white paper also includes interviews with five individuals, including Interpol investigators, operators of the global illegal site 'Reaper Scans,' overseas informants, and copyright lawyers. For the first time in the industry, it captures both the investigative entities' and the illegal site operators' perspectives, presenting the realities of copyright infringement, the challenges of international cooperation, and the direction of public-private partnerships in a comprehensive manner. Reaper Scans was a major illegal site with approximately 10 million monthly visits and an estimated damage amounting to 676.9 billion won, but it was voluntarily shut down due to Kakao's enforcement.
Additionally, this 7th white paper includes performance results regarding video content. In a global trial crackdown targeting Kakao's drama IP, over 200 illegal materials were deleted within about a month, expanding the response scope from webtoons and web novels to video content.
Lee Ho-jun, head of Kakao Entertainment's legal department, noted, 'Through the TTT strategy, we are providing substantial clues to investigative agencies, enhancing the effectiveness of international cooperative investigations,' and he added that they aim to advance technology and organization against cross-border digital infringements and lead collaborations with relevant domestic and foreign agencies to contribute to building a healthy content ecosystem.