Naver Webtoon said on the 4th that it is expanding its response to illegal webtoon distribution worldwide, including issuing subpoenas through U.S. courts and joining ACE (Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment), a global copyright protection organization. Starting this month, it is running a special campaign with 43 local and Korean creators to raise awareness of illegal webtoon distribution in Indonesia.
The campaign is part of Naver Webtoon's creator ecosystem support program "WEBTOON With" and aims to highlight the negative impact of illegal webtoon copying on creators and emphasize the importance of accessing content through official platforms.
Forty-three Korean and Indonesian webtoon creators who serialize on Naver Webtoon's Indonesian-language service joined the campaign. The creators produced special illustrations carrying the message "please do not use illegal sites" and posted them at the bottom of the latest episodes of their works. The illustrations will be displayed in every episode until the series ends.
Naver Webtoon is pursuing both technical and legal measures to prevent illegal distribution. Since July 2017, it has operated its own technology, "Toon Radar," which embeds invisible user identification information in webtoon images to track and block the initial leaker. In 2023, it also became the first in the industry to cover all expense on behalf of creators and obtain subpoenas through U.S. courts, shutting down the activities of more than 220 illegal sites with annual visit traffic totaling 3.8 billion between 2023 and 2024.
In addition, Naver Webtoon became the first among Korean corporations and the only webtoon and web novel platform to join ACE (Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment) under the Motion Picture Association (MPA). ACE is considered one of the most influential organizations in the world in responding to illegal distribution.
Kim Gyu-nam, Naver Webtoon CRO (Chief Risk Management Officer), said, "In emerging webtoon markets such as Indonesia, illegal distribution can have a greater impact on the creator ecosystem," and noted, "We will respond actively and consistently not only in Korea but also in global markets to help protect creators and foster a healthy webtoon ecosystem."