Recently, Nintendo of America has decided to take legal action after the leak of confidential information about “Pokémon.” The company filed a request with the US District Court in California to have Discord turn over the data of a user known as GameFreakOUT, who is believed to have been behind the massive leak known as “Teraleak.” The order was presented on April 18 and accepted on April 21, with until May 7 for Discord to hand over the user's data, which includes name, address, phone, email, IP, and more.
The leak exposed information such as unreleased Pokémon designs, HeartGold and SoulSilver prototypes, and even personal data of Game Freak employees, which caused a stir.. Game Freak admitted to the security breach and apologized, saying they had already fixed their servers.
What does this have to do with anime? Although this all sounds like a mess from the world of video games, the truth is that leaks and digital piracy are also a big problem in the anime industry. Just as video games like “Pokémon” suffer content leaks, it also happens with mangas or anime episodes that leak before their premiere. This kind of thing can ruin release plans, marketing campaigns, and even damage the experience for creators and fans.
If Nintendo wins the legal battle, we could see this action repeated in the anime world. Platforms like Discord, where fans share all types of content, could become more involved in the fight against leaks, changing the way online anime and video game communities are managed.
This case also highlights how digital piracy is affecting the entertainment industries more than ever. Companies are taking more control over platforms, and if it starts to be seen as a threat to their intellectual property, more restrictions and laws could be implemented, not only in games like Pokémon, but also in anime. We'll have to keep an eye out for how this could change things!
