Company Once Offered Partnership, Now Threatens to Shut Down World's Largest Free Adult Manga Site

In a surprising twist in the ongoing lawsuit between PCR Distributing and the popular adult manga website Nhentai, newly submitted evidence reveals PCR's earlier attempts to collaborate with Nhentai. The legal battle began in August 2024, with PCR accusing Nhentai of copyright infringement. PCR's lawsuit requests a court subpoena to uncover details such as user information, IP addresses, and server logs, claiming that Nhentai hosts infringing content. Nhentai, on the other hand, argues that it merely acts as a service provider and doesn’t store any content on its own servers. Nhentai is also pushing back against the subpoena, requesting that any disclosed information be kept confidential.

Despite this current legal contention, an email from 2020 has surfaced showing that David Goldberg, managing editor of J18—a PCR-affiliated company—reached out to Nhentai with an offer. "We don't want to try to take down any of our galleries [on your site]-- we just want people to have a simple, safe, and easy way of getting to our site where they can buy physical copies of the comics they love," Goldberg expressed, suggesting an arrangement that would allow Nhentai to retain the galleries in exchange for advertising and promotion. This revelation adds a complex layer to the lawsuit, hinting that PCR’s initial stance may not have been as strictly adversarial as their current legal approach suggests.

Japanese Adult Content Sees Significant Popularity in Western Markets

J18 is part of a well-connected network focused on distributing mature Japanese content in Western markets, initially established by Peter Payne. Payne first launched JAST USA in the United States to facilitate the licensing, translation, and distribution of such content for Western audiences. Later, he expanded operations to Japan to manage translation services, logistics, and act as a liaison with Japanese rights holders. In addition, he founded PCR Distributing, a company responsible for packaging and distribution, and J-LIST, a popular online store and blog for adult products.

According to newly disclosed emails, PCR Distributing provided Nhentai with a spreadsheet containing over 3,300 links to its content, seeking to promote official sources through advertisements on Nhentai’s platform. Nhentai argues that this action implied consent to host PCR's manga on their website. In a recent statement, Nhentai remarked, "Plaintiff [PCR] wants Nhentai.net to use it so that Plaintiff can amass even more money from the sexually explicit materials Plaintiff sells. Plaintiff has even offered to pay Nhentai.net to run ads on its website to accomplish this goal."

PCR argues that its emails were not an endorsement of Nhentai’s actions. The company claims that, contrary to Nhentai's interpretation, the emails were simply preliminary communications and not official permission. As PCR stated, “Under California law, an invitation to bargain is not an offer.” This unexpected stance has stirred debate, as the legal battle with Nhentai has attracted widespread attention.

Nhentai remains one of the most popular adult manga sites globally, amassing 76.6 million visits in September, second only to DLSite’s 78.9 million. The site hosts over a million works (including duplicates), but PCR’s lawsuit specifically targets 3,300 titles under their purview. Despite representing a fraction of the site’s content, PCR’s actions threaten the platform’s future, creating concerns among users.

While 3,300 infringements may seem like a significant number to PCR, it's a reflection of a broader issue. According to Similarweb data, approximately 33.68% of Nhentai's traffic comes from Japan, which is notably higher than the 17.37% originating from the U.S. After attempting to reach an amicable resolution, some might argue that PCR has a valid case for legal action. Additionally, Japanese rights holders may be reluctant to license their works internationally, fearing that they could end up on piracy sites, where a primarily Japanese audience could consume them, ultimately jeopardizing PCR's business operations.