The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), in partnership with the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), has successfully shut down MovieBox.ng, a website widely known for streaming pirated films, music, and live sports.
The NCC announced that the takedown took effect on July 20, 2025, as part of a broader effort to curb digital copyright infringement.
Confirming the development in a statement released on Thursday in Abuja, the NCC’s Director-General, Dr. John Asein, said the action was a major milestone in the agency’s renewed fight against online piracy.
The move has reportedly been welcomed by rights holders across Nigeria’s film, music, and broadcast industries.
According to Dr. Asein, MovieBox.ng operated as part of a larger, coordinated network that uses fallback and clone domains to evade detection and continue distributing pirated content.
“They use multiple mirror domains to access and promote pirated content, with domain histories linked to known piracy operations,” he said.
- He added that the NCC is actively working to identify and disable other related mirror sites associated with MovieBox.ng, ensuring that the platform cannot simply resurface under a new domain.
- The NCC also commended NiRA for its swift action in suspending the domain and called on other internet stakeholders, including service providers and platform intermediaries to respond quickly to takedown requests, as mandated by the Copyright Act of 2022.
- (Agency Report)
