Scanlation site Manga Rock is scheduled to shut down soon after various copyright holders within the manga industry and media outlets criticized the site for providing visitors with copyrighted material, and making money off said material with paid subscriptions without putting anything back into the coffers of the creators.
The news was reported over on Japanese news site J-Cast, who picked up a quote from the group, who told them: “At that time, we didn’t understand the manga industry, we didn’t know the origin of the scan (including the non-official license), and we know that it will damage manga artists and publishers over time.
“Moreover, as the popularity of “Manga Rock” increased, so did the damage, so we deeply reflected on our role in accelerating the popularity of scanning and made victims out of the artists and publishers. As a result, we plan to close our scan collection site and app, and recommend that similar scan collection sites (there are many) be closed as well. To those in the manga industry, we are truly sorry for the trouble. ”
As noted by Anime News Network, the big criticisms came from the fact that Manga Rock had a premium service for those who wanted access to freshly released manga. All it would cost you is a $5 monthly subscription.
Irodori Comics CEO, On Takahashi, took to Twitter to lambaste Manga Rock back on August 27th, 2019, which is what helped lead up to the site announcing its closure.
