tachiyomi, the popular open-source comic reader, is ceasing development following the shutdown of Kakao Entertainment. This app allows users to customize their reading experience while accessing manga from a variety of third-party online sources – some of which include piracy websites, where pirated materials can be found. Is there any copyright owned by Kakao? While the app itself will still work, it will no longer be updated, meaning certain features (such as integration with tracking sites) may not work properly. In a post on Tachiyomi’s official website, one of the app’s developers explains the team’s reasoning:
I am sad to announce that, with unanimous support from core contributors and support staff, the core Tachiyomi project will no longer be under active development due to recent events related to threats by Kakao Entertainment Corp towards both me and others involved in the project.…In the coming days:
- Our core GitHub repository will be taken down.
- Official social media accounts will be closed.
- The official Discord server will be repurposed as a general community for those who want to stay.
Note that existing settings cannot be affected by us. Anything new called Tachiyomi or claiming to be its successor is unrelated to the original developers. Always use caution when downloading or installing anything from unknown sources.
As reported by TorrentFreak, Kakao asked Tachiyomi developers to delete all versions of the app and terminate the project in early January. The content in question was hosted on third-party apps : Bato, MangaDex, NewToki/Mana Toki, Kiss Manga and S2 Manga. The Tachiyomi team removed the forks (pre-loaded extensions) a week later, on January 9, and advised the Kakao team to file DMCA takedown requests against sites hosting the infringing content. However, Kakao Entertainment continues its anti-piracy campaign aimed directly at Tachiyomi, claiming that apps such as this leave users’ devices vulnerable to viruses (a claim that has been disputed). dispute through the Community Notes features on Twitter/X).
Webtoon and manga publishers are stepping up their fight against piracy, which is damaging the publishing industry. The PCoK account (created for the purpose of protecting Kakao Entertainment’s content) often posts about takedown requests that have been made and sometimes even surveys followers about the growing trend of takedown requests that have been made. Readers use pirated websites. Last month, they boasted about identifying the people behind one of the world’s largest comic and webtoon websites (starting with the letter M). This website alone appears to cause 3 trillion won (~2.2 million USD) worth of damage to the publishing industry every month. Previously, this account had claimed that they had infiltrated the so-called scanning group.
