Abuja: The Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Dr. John Asein, announced that the commission has intensified its online enforcement operations, leading to significant disruption of piracy activities across digital platforms. He disclosed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Asein emphasized that the commission has shifted its focus from traditional enforcement methods to digital operations in response to the increasing online presence of piracy activities. The NCC has made notable progress in its online anti-piracy drive, successfully disrupting the operations of online pirates instead of relying solely on physical raids.
“In the last few years, it has been remarkable. You will notice that we don’t make so much noise again about our operations,” Asein stated. He noted that the commission has effectively shut down platforms where pirated materials were freely available, encouraging users to pay for legitimate access to such works.
Asein highlighted the importance of online disruption due to the anonymous nature of many piracy operators, who often lack identifiable addresses and sometimes operate from outside Nigeria. The commission has also achieved success in tracking down major operators like ‘Net Nigeria’, which was investigated for over three years and is currently being prosecuted at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
He explained that investigations revealed ‘Net Nigeria’ had become a brand associated with illicit activities, with other pirates allegedly using the name to attract traffic to their platforms. Asein also mentioned the case of MovieBox, an online piracy platform operating with a .ng domain, which was brought down in collaboration with the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA).
The NCC’s efforts in online copyright enforcement have received international commendation, with rights owners both within and outside Nigeria taking notice of the progress. Asein credited the support of the Federal Government for some of these achievements, noting that the administration has created renewed hope for musicians, authors, and other creative industry practitioners through stronger copyright protection.
He added that the government has unlocked resources under the copyright levy system to benefit right holders, disbursing N1.2 billion to each of the three Collective Management Organisations (CMOs) representing the literary, music, and film sectors. This development is significant because the copyright levy, despite being provided for under the Copyright Act, had not been effectively unlocked for right holders since the law’s enactment in 1988.
Asein urged CMOs to improve royalty collection and ensure transparency, accountability, and good governance in distributing royalties to right holders. The commission is restructuring the collective management system to ensure that all stakeholders operate according to established rules.
He emphasized the creative sector’s growing importance to Nigeria’s economy, noting the shift from a knowledge-based economy to one increasingly driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI). The commission has taken copyright awareness campaigns to schools and informal sectors to educate Nigerians about their role in the creative ecosystem.
Asein also highlighted the global growth of Nigerian music, particularly Afrobeats, which has become a global brand with growing popularity in Europe, the United States, and other parts of the world. He commended the Federal Ministry of Justice for its partnership with the commission in strengthening Nigeria’s copyright legal and regulatory framework.
Several regulations are being developed, including those on collective management and authorized entities, with more expected before the year’s end. The commission has recently trained directors and senior officers of the Ministry of Justice and plans to extend this training to legal advisers across the country.
Asein concluded by stressing the collective effort required to protect copyright and urged stakeholders to work together to build a stronger system capable of protecting creators and ensuring they benefit from their intellectual works.