NEW YORK (FORTUNE) - Movie execs this Christmas have one common request on their list to Santa: an end to piracy. But just in case he doesn't deliver, the showbiz world is doing whatever it can on its own to crack down, from placing spies in theaters to look for rogue video tapers to Sony recently bundling a program on its CDs that closed its music to copying -- but also opened up customers' PCs to all kinds of viruses. As mainstream showbiz continues its cat-and-mouse quest to protect its intellectual property, one tiny niche has figured out a way around the problem: Anime, the Japanese style of animation that typically features saucer-eyed women and giant mechanical men, and manga, its print cousin. Though small -- the retail market for both is worth just $625 million – this animated world is growing rapidly, with sales up 13 percent between 2002 and 2004. More, they've managed this growth by doing what Hollywood seems increasingly incapable of: winning over fans instead of fearing them.

(Source: CNN Money)

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