NCC, NIRA Achieve Milestone in Cobating Piracy
The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), in collaboration with the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), has achieved a significant milestone in combating piracy by securing the suspension of MovieBox.ng, a notorious online platform for streaming pirated copyright materials, encompassing films, music, and live sports from Nigeria and beyond.
This landmark achievement in the battle against piracy is the result of the Commission’s intensified campaign against online piracy.
The suspension, effective Saturday, July 20, 2025, has garnered acclaim from associations representing rights holders in the film, music, and broadcasting sectors.
The Director General of the NCC, Dr. John Asein, expressed his enthusiasm, noting that this development serves as a tangible indication of the Commission’s unwavering commitment to its reinvigorated efforts against online piracy.
In its initial report, the Commission characterized the unlawful activities as indicative of a concerted attempt to perpetuate piracy operations through cloned or fallback domains. It further revealed a systematic endeavor by the website to elude detection and dismantling by employing multiple mirror domains, thereby facilitating access to copyright-protected content and exhibiting a domain history consistent with established piracy activities.
The Commission extended its gratitude to NiRA, the Nigerian Registry for top-level domains, for its responsiveness, and urged other stakeholders in the online realm, particularly Internet Service Providers and intermediaries, to act responsibly and swiftly in response to takedown notices and blocking directives as mandated by the Copyright Act 2022.
Furthermore, the Commission is actively working to ensure the deactivation of other mirror sites associated with the platform. The Director General reiterated his caution to the public against pirate sites offering free streaming and downloads, as they not only violate copyright laws but also prey on unsuspecting users, subjecting them to malware, financial scams, identity theft, and other fraudulent schemes.
Earlier this year, the Copyright Commission launched the Stand Together Against Online Piracy (STOP) campaign, appealing to all stakeholders government agencies, ISPs, telecom operators, and industry leaders to unite as frontline enforcement partners in safeguarding creative content and securing the nation’s digital future.
