WEBTOON ENTERTAINMENT’s Technical Endeavors and Achievements in the realm of IP Protection

​While a solid structure for high-quality content production and consumption is fundamental to the content business, safeguarding content copyrights throughout the distribution process is crucial for maintaining the business and fostering continuous growth in this ecosystem.

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However, with the digitization of content, including music, movies, and books, it has become relatively easy to illegally replicate and distribute content. The problem lies in the fact that investigating and legally prosecuting those who engage in the illegal replication and distribution of content is often time-consuming and challenging.

The traditional post-penalty approach to copyright protection proved to be of little help in content businesses like web comics, where new episodes are released and consumed almost every week. In other words, there was a genuine need for technology that could detect and apprehend illegal distribution of content created through piracy before it could proliferate on a large scale.

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As a storytech company that provides storytelling content as well as various technology-based features and services, we at WEBTOON ENTERTAINMENT have made persistent efforts to address copyright issues through technology. As a result, we have launched our own technology for WEBTOON IP protection, called “Toon Radar.”

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# AI Technology for Protecting Content and Creator Rights: Toon Radar

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WEBTOON ENTERTAINMENT first introduced the Toon Radar technology for content copyright protection in 2017. This technology reads unique user identification data embedded in individual episodes to detect unauthorized users. Such identification data is imperceptible to the human eye and does not disrupt the enjoyment of the content. However, it enables the identification and capture of users who have illegally replicated webtoon content and uploaded it to other websites. Using a technique similar to watermarking, Toon Radar monitors illegal uploads and identifies new illegal websites promptly using a detection system. The technological characteristics of Toon Radar have played a crucial role in helping law enforcement agencies identify illegal content distributors during the process of cracking down on illegal distribution websites. Taking it a step further, we at WEBTOON ENTERTAINMENT are focusing on proactively preventing illegal distribution by blocking the accounts identified by Toon Radar from accessing the content.

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One of the technological achievements of Toon Radar is the significant delay in the time it takes for the latest paid episodes to appear on illegal sharing sites. Since the latest paid episodes available through the “Fast Pass” feature on WEBTOON become free after a certain time, delaying their appearance on illegal sites is crucial in minimizing damage. In the past, there were instances where some episodes were illegally distributed within a day of being updated on WEBTOON. However, recent efforts have extended this period to an average of 3 to 4 weeks. During the delay, the paid episodes provided by WEBTOON become freely accessible, eliminating the incentive for readers to visit illegal sites. Thus, the delay and proactive prevention of illegal distribution through Toon Radar represent effective ways of fundamentally neutralizing illegal uploaders.

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Furthermore, in early 2019, WEBTOON ENTERTAINMENT adopted the “Illegal Upload Prediction System for web comics” to Toon Radar. This system utilizes data analysis and machine learning technologies to analyze and predict users’ illegal sharing patterns, allowing for the proactive blocking of users suspected of engaging in illegal replication and sharing. As of 2023, we are in the process of upgrading the watermarking technology to V6, which achieves higher performance and handles a greater amount of data compared to the previous V3 version.

In summary, we at WEBTOON ENTERTAINMENT operate the following four key technological measures 24/7, 365 days a year, and have achieved tangible results in reducing the scale of damage caused by illegal sharing.

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• Real-time automatic monitoring of illegal websites uploading WEBTOON content

• Swift identification and blocking of the initial uploaders to illegal sites

• Proactive prevention based on data of existing illegal uploaders

• Rapid crackdown and response to illegal sites through the operation of a predictive website detection system (PDSM)

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# Noteworthy Achievements of Toon Radar

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According to WEBTOON ENTERTAINMENT’s own data, the economic value of the copyrighted works protected by Toon Radar by delaying the illegal distribution amounts to at least KRW 200 billion per year. When including cases where illegal distribution was blocked in advance, the total figure could reach around KRW 300 billion. As these estimates do not include the post-blocking effect through monitoring and the complete cessation of illegal sites, the actual protective effect is expected to be even more significant. Moreover, from July 2017, when Toon Radar was first implemented, until December 2022, it was found that the rate of upload suspension and takedown* of illegal sites where web- comics were first shared illegally reached 73%. This means that, out of over 100 illegal sites worldwide, 73 were taken down. Notably, for the “Z” site known for illegally sharing US Original WEBTOON, there was a significant decrease in 2022, with an over 80% reduction compared to 2021, resulting in an average of around 4 works uploaded, down from an average of 25 in previous years.

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* Upload suspension and takedown: The website has changed to another site that can no longer directly disseminate web comic episodes, the website is no longer available for upload, or the website’s server is down.

The illegal distribution of content is a criminal act that deprives creators of their rightful earnings and disrupts the businesses of companies, production houses, and the entire market. In addition to developing our own technology like Toon Radar, WEBTOON ENTERTAINMENT actively collaborates with organizations worldwide and legal authorities to fight against illegal distributors for copyright protection. Furthermore, we are in partnerships with specialized companies focused on monitoring illegal content distribution and actively carrying out activities such as search result blocking and monitoring of illegal content distribution. We also operate a specialized in-house team dedicated to monitoring various social media and open platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, X, Instagram, and others. WEBTOON ENTERTAINMENT is committed to persistent efforts in safeguarding content copyrights as we move forward.