Authorities in Vietnam have arrested seven individuals allegedly involved in the operation of HiAnime, one of the largest and most popular free anime streaming sites, which ceased operations earlier this year. The arrests were reported by Torrent Freak and followed years of investigation by organizations including U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Department of Justice, and the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE).
HiAnime, which featured a layout similar to legitimate streaming services, offered thousands of anime titles and reportedly attracted over 150 million monthly visits. The site had previously operated under the names Zoro and Aniwatch before rebranding to HiAnime in 2024. The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, whose members include major entertainment companies like Netflix and Walt Disney Studios, has been actively working to combat piracy.
In March, HiAnime went offline after posting a farewell message. Vietnamese authorities subsequently arrested four alleged ringleaders on charges of copyright infringement and money laundering. Three other individuals were arrested solely for copyright infringement. According to Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security, the network operated over 100 websites, offering more than 26,000 unlicensed titles and generating approximately $12.8 million in advertising revenue.
Efforts to curb HiAnime's operations have been ongoing. In 2023, ACE successfully took over the Zoro.to domain, prompting the site to move to Aniwatch. The rebranding to HiAnime may have also been a response to enforcement actions, as it coincided with India's blocking of several pirate sites, including Aniwatch.
The U.S. Trade Representatives (USTR) had previously highlighted HiAnime in its annual review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy. In May, the USTR designated Vietnam as a Priority Foreign Country due to its insufficient efforts to address online piracy, initiating a trade investigation. While acknowledging Vietnam's past actions against pirate sites, the USTR report noted that penalties, such as those in the Fmovies case, were often lenient, involving suspended sentences and minor financial penalties.
The seven men arrested in connection with HiAnime are currently awaiting trial. If convicted of the charges, which include money laundering and copyright infringement, they could face more stringent penalties than those seen in previous piracy cases in Vietnam.