The fight to break up the international crime syndicates stealing content has seen several recent successes, broadening the partnerships being employed, and tightening the net around content criminals.

Across Africa, raids and arrests are being conducted on an almost weekly basis, with illegal streaming sites being shut down. At the same time, the latest digital technology is being deployed to identify the sources and the users of illicit streams.

“Technology may make it easy to pirate content, but it also makes it easier to track down and prosecute those involved,” says Frikkie Jonker, Director of Anti-Piracy Cybersecurity Services at MultiChoice Group. “Forensic watermarking technology, proactive monitoring, and global partnerships allow us to issue immediate takedown notices to lawbreakers and follow up with arrest operations where necessary.”

These critical global partnerships include the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Ethiopia to combat piracy, support the creative sector and safeguard the country’s cultural heritage.

The MoU between MultiChoice Africa, the Ethiopian Ministry of Culture and Sport (MOCS), as well as the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Authority (EIPA), aims to collaboratively combat piracy and enhance the protection of intellectual property rights in Ethiopia.

The MoU, and several similar agreements build upon previous collaborations under the Africa-wide Partners Against Piracy (PAP) programme.

Piracy undermines the ability of creators and rightsholders to earn a living from their work. It also has insidious cultural impacts, eroding the local content economy. Protecting cultural and creative assets fosters a sustainable environment for creators and builds a thriving environment for continued evolution of a country’s creative works.

Recent breakthroughs

PAP last year conducted more than 155 successful raids across Africa, resulting in the closure of 4 351 networks and the arrest of 107 individuals involved in illegal activities

Since piracy is a global phenomenon, the secret to PAP’s effectiveness lies in its international presence. The vast number of PAP initiatives across jurisdictions is proof of this global and pan-African approach. Among recent PAP accomplishments, the organisation.

• Launched PAP in Namibia in partnership with the Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA) and the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB)
• Raided five shops and prosecuted five syndicate members selling illegal decoders in Botswana in an enforcement action led by the Botswana Police Service and the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA).
• In collaboration with the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) and the National Police Service, successfully shut down the pirate sports streaming site "score808.US".
• Partnered with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) for a media workshop to address content piracy and intellectual property.
• Deployed artificial intelligence (AI) technology in Zimbabwe to scour the web and detect pirate content.
• Participated in an anti-piracy conference in Angola, alongside the US embassy and copyright consultancy Portão.
• In Mozambique, launched raids after 160 hotels and lodges were found to be using pirated decoders and foreign accounts.
• Apprehended the operator behind the notorious pirate sports-content domain www.score808.com.ng in Nigeria.
• In Malawi, launched a campaign with MultiChoice Malawi and the Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA), to raise awareness of copyright protections and fight piracy.

Lawmakers and law enforcement

PAP also engages with governments on reform processes, updating outdated laws to make provision for new piracy trends.

“There is limited effective legislation on the continent to support prosecution of streaming piracy,” says Jonker.  

Jonker describes technology-enabled approaches such as dynamic IP blocking and domain blocking, which can significantly hamper online piracy, but which require dedicated legislation to be put into effect.

“We will be working with African governments to amend laws to address streaming piracy. And help cybersecurity interventions to fight it,” he says

Almost all pirated content is uploaded from outside Africa. Dynamic IP blocking allows anti-piracy units to block the African IP addresses that are being used to relay the content to local users.

Piracy also involves local underground hardware dealers and resellers, as well as agents who sell passwords, subscriptions and log-in credentials criminals who enable the piracy network.

PAP, in partnership with local law-enforcement, conducts raids almost daily, where these individuals are arrested and prosecuted. Advanced technology also means all clients using these illegal services can be disconnected at the click of a button.

PAP then works with international enforcement agencies like Europe, Interpol and US Homeland Security to go after the kingpins overseas.

Jonker congratulates the police, legislators, civil-society bodies as well as the law-abiding citizens who are helping to drive the breakthroughs against piracy.

“We have had some great successes, and it bodes well for the ongoing war on piracy,” he says. “We have to act collectively to tackle piracy, and it is reaping great rewards.”

Report Piracy:?

International Hotline - +27 11 289 2684?

piracy@multichoice.co.za

mcg@irdeto.com

piracy@multichoice.co.za

supersport@irdeto.com

https://www.multichoice.com/partners-against-piracy/types-of-piracy