By Peter Omopo | July 31, 2025
ABUJA — The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), in partnership with the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), has successfully secured the suspension of MovieBox.ng, a website accused of illegally streaming pirated movies, music, and live sports content.
The suspension, which took effect on July 20, 2025, was confirmed by NCC Director-General, Dr. John Asein, in a statement released Thursday by the commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Mrs. Ijeoma Egbunike.
Dr. Asein said the move was part of NCC’s renewed crackdown on digital piracy under its “Stand Together Against Online Piracy (STOP)” campaign. He described MovieBox.ng as a major piracy hub operating through clone and fallback domains to distribute unauthorized content.
“These sites rely on mirror domains to continuously access and promote pirated material,” Asein explained. “Investigations have revealed that the domain histories are linked to well-known piracy networks.”
He commended NiRA for its swift cooperation in suspending the domain and called on other internet stakeholders—including service providers, intermediaries, and web hosting platforms—to act swiftly in enforcing takedown requests in line with the Copyright Act, 2022.
The NCC also disclosed that efforts are underway to identify and disable other mirror sites affiliated with MovieBox.ng to prevent continued infringement.
In addition, the commission warned the public against patronizing illegal streaming platforms, cautioning that such sites not only violate copyright laws but also expose users to serious risks, including malware infections, identity theft, and online fraud.
“The public must understand that piracy is not a victimless crime. It undermines creativity, robs content creators of their earnings, and endangers users,” the NCC said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the suspension of MovieBox.ng is one of several actions being taken under the STOP campaign, which was launched earlier this year to combat the rising tide of online piracy in Nigeria.
