California-based startup Dashtoon has announced a deal with the Korea Webtoon Industry Association (KWIA) to license and host top webtoons. This follows KWIA’s ongoing partnership with Google Korea, which gives the company support and opportunities to connect with overseas publishers like Dashtoon.
Through a press release, Google subsidiary Google Korea and the Korea Webtoon Industry Association (KWIA) have signed a licensing agreement with American webtoon platform Dashtoon. Dashtoon was recognized as the “Best for Entertainment” app in the “Comics & Manga” category at Google Play’s Best of 2023 awards. The agreement aims to connect Korean artists to the global market, one of which is to license and host top webtoons from KWIA members. However, it is worth noting that Dashtoon and KWIA also plan to expand westward by collaborating on webtoons using the “Dashtoon Studio” tool. This creates AI-generated images, which both parties hope will make webtoons faster. After an email exchange, a Dashtoon representative shared that the images used in the generated mockups were sourced from open-source platforms like Stable Diffusion, which is currently embroiled in a legal battle with artists over alleged violations of moral and economic rights.
KWIA members include several prominent Korean studios, such as D&C Media and Kakao Entertainment, both of which collaborated to publish and distribute Solo Leveling. It is currently unknown which titles will move to Dashtoon following the licensing deal, but details are expected to be revealed soon. This latest development follows the strategic partnership between Google Korea and KWIA (of which Google Korea is also a member), which was first signed in September 2023, promising to expand the global webtoon industry in the mid- to long-term. Specific collaborative activities include a “Webtoon Industry Day” to encourage webtoon activities, leveraging Google’s global network to host workshops, establishing networking opportunities with overseas webtoon publishers — such as Dashtoon — and consulting on strategies to enable genre diversity and discover new IPs. In addition to the new Korean licensing deal, Dashtoon has agreed to adapt works by more than 50 authors, including USA Today bestsellers Colleen Helme, Christina Tetreault, Blair Howard, Kelly Oliver, and Lili Valente. The company has adapted Ken Warner's The Secret of Giza and A.N. Boyden's The Surrogate Nanny on its platform.
Webtoon has seen a growing trend of controversial AI usage
The growing and divisive trend of generative AI in the arts is a divisive one, with many artists deriding the practice as theft and copyright infringement. Webtoon and manga platforms are increasingly adopting the technology, saying it better supports artists and their schedules. SEC filings reveal that WEBTOON recently developed two new AI tools. The emerging platform VoyceMe also uses these tools but cites its ethics policy, arguing that all images are opt-in. Dashtoon representatives say the company is moving toward a fully opt-in model in the near future; however, much of the data will likely be trained on drawings built on images captured without prior consent. Currently, the AI tool is used for image generation and editing, while scripts and storyboards are done manually. The company employs more than 300 in-house artists.
Some are willing to accept the reality of generative AI. In a public comment from the animation association NAFCA, they shared that while they are not against generative AI, there needs to be appropriate disclaimers for moral rights. “We believe that there should never be a situation where the ‘offender’ wins and the ‘victim’ cries himself to sleep,” the statement added. However, many disagree in all or most cases, arguing that it devalues art, disrespects labor, and threatens livelihoods.
Source: Press release
