A group of Japanese movie and anime companies are launching an international campaign against piracy, according to animeanime via AnimeNewsNetwork.  The initiatve, which will be run through CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association), will search for unauthorized videos and ask the site administrators to remove them. 

The program will launch on a limited basis in mid-November, by monitoring 10 to 15 major works (for example, Ponyo) in one country, China.  Additional countries will be added.   The anime companies involved initially are Toho, Studio Ghibli, and Sunrise. 

The scale of the piracy is staggering.  A recently completed survey (from NHK, also via Anime News Network) counts over 38,000 illegally distributed Japanese-animated videos every month, generating around 69 million views.