Broadcasting
NCC Partners MOPPAN, Set to Reintroduce Hologram Stamps
Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), in collaboration with stakeholders, will soon reintroduce the hologram scheme to boost copyright regulation and anti-piracy interventions in selected copyright industries.
Mr. John O. Asein, director-general of NCC, disclosed this recently in Abuja while receiving a delegation of Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MOPPAN) and Arewa Film Makers Association of Nigeria (AFMAN) led by Dr. Ahmad M. Safari, MOPPAN national president.
Mr. Asein stated that the Commission would collaborate with the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the reintroduction of the hologram stamps would strengthen the Commission’s renewed enforcement drive by aiding the identification of genuine copyright works.
The Commission and MOPPAN representatives also discussed various strategies to sanitise the production and distribution channels in the movie industry, particularly in the northern part of the country.
He noted that while much of copyright dealings were now online, there was still a huge volume of works in the physical space.
Expressing regret that some vested interests had scuttled the implementation of the hologram scheme when it was first introduced by the Commission over two decades ago, he indicated that the scheme would be reintroduced to run first as a voluntary scheme and eventually be made mandatory for certain categories of works.
“All we want is to have a credible, a security marker that would enable the average man on the street distinguish between original and pirated copyright works. This would strengthen the anti-piracy drive of the Commission and enhance copyright protection,” he stated.
The director-general also expressed concerns about the proliferation of dubbing and voice-over of foreign movies which he said constituted copyright infringement under Nigerian copyright law and warned perpetrators to desist from such illegal acts.
Observing that the Commission has a duty to protect the interests of foreign copyright owners as much as other countries have obligations to protect Nigeria’s copyright interests, he cautioned that the Commission would intensify efforts to arrest and prosecute all forms of criminal copyright infringement.
“We must take necessary steps to check the infringing voice-over of local and foreign movies. We may have to combine our powers over piracy with the powers of the NVFCB over uncensored movies, first to enlighten the public and eventually clean up the streets of such criminality across the country” he stressed.
Decrying the socio-economic damage that pirates and copyright thefts cause, Mr. Asein reassured MOPPAN that the Commission would continue to institute and implement policies that would further encourage and secure investments in the copyright industry while making piracy less attractive.
“Nigeria at 60 gives us the creative sector an opportunity to look inwards and celebrate Nigeria. I assure you that, going forward, the Commission will be available to walk the streets and markets with you to send the message in very clear terms that Nigeria is not a dumping ground for foreign movies, with or without voice-over. We should promote this administration’s policy of Nigeria first in the entertainment industry”, he stated.
He appealed to film makers to patronize only legitimate replicating and duplicating plants to further discourage piracy.
The director-general urged stakeholders to support NCC’s regulatory and enforcement initiatives, stressing that despite the challenges of inadequate operational facilities, the Commission remained committed to discharging its statutory mandates.
He gave an assurance that the Commission would review and provide practitioners in the various copyright industries with model contracts to help safeguard their rights and promote rancour-free copyright dealings.
The director-general also disclosed that the Commission has introduced major policy initiatives to respond to the peculiar needs in the copyright industry, such as boarder and international ports policing, the Online Enforcement Unit, the regulation of duplicators, as well as intensified raids of piracy hotspots across the country.
Speaking earlier, Dr. Safari, national president of MOPPAN, identified the main challenges undermining the growth of the movie industry as piracy; illegal voice-over on foreign movies in the Hausa language; unauthorised content upload on social media platforms; and lack of model contractual agreements in the film industry.
While appreciating the efforts of the Commission at repositioning the creative industry, Dr. Safari urged the NCC to sustain its partnership with stakeholders across all the sectors of the copyright industry.
The MOPPAN National President was accompanied on the visit by the Chairman, MOPPAN in the F.C.T., Alhaji Habib Barde Mohammed; National Coordinator of Arewa Film Makers Association of Nigeria (AFMAN), Alhaji Ahmad Turaki Kaka and MOPPAN Secretary, Mr. Dalhatu Sule.
Directors of the Commission in attendance were the Director, Regulatory Department, Mr. Augustine Amodu; Director, Nigerian Copyright Academy (NCA), Mr. Mike Akpan; Director of Enforcement, Mr. Obi Ezeilo; and the Director, Public Affairs, Mr. Vincent A. Oyefeso.
Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT) in Abuja has dismissed a class action suit filed by one Uche Diala and 961 other DStv and GOtv subscribers against MultiChoice Nigeria and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), citing lack of jurisdiction.
The suit challenged MultiChoice’s subscription price increases in November 2023 and May 2024, which the claimants described as arbitrary, exploitative, and unfair.
Diala and others sought to reverse the hikes and compel the company to adopt a more flexible billing model, such as a pay-as-you-view system used in other countries like South Africa.
They also accused MultiChoice of price discrimination against Nigerian consumers.
MultiChoice, through its counsel, raised a preliminary objection, arguing that pricing decisions do not fall within the tribunal’s remit and that the suit was improperly filed as a class action without first seeking the tribunal’s leave.
In its ruling on Thursday, the tribunal’s three-member panel led by Justice Thomas Okosun held that the core issues raised, which were pricing and tariff regulation, fall under the exclusive purview of the executive branch, particularly the President, as stipulated under the Price Control Act.
“The issue of price regulation is a matter that falls within the exclusive purview of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Okosun stated.
While the tribunal acknowledged it holds both original and appellate jurisdiction under the FCCPC Act, it emphasized that such authority does not cover general price control unless abuse of market dominance is established—a point the claimants failed to prove.
On the procedural matter of filing a class action without prior approval, the tribunal noted that although it is ideal to obtain leave, failure to do so was not fatal in this instance since the claimants demonstrated a shared grievance and common interest.
Nonetheless, the tribunal upheld MultiChoice’s objection, ruling that it lacked jurisdiction to adjudicate the matter.
“The preliminary objection of the first defendant succeeds,” the panel held. “This suit is accordingly struck out for want of jurisdiction.”
This ruling follows a similar outcome on May 8, when a Federal High Court in Abuja upheld MultiChoice’s price increases after the company sued the FCCPC.
In that judgment, Justice James Omotoso declared that the FCCPC lacked the authority to fix or suspend subscription rates.
MultiChoice Nigeria has slashed the price of its DStv decoder from N20,000 to N10,000, representing a 50 percent drop, in a aim at attracting attract more customers and curb declining subscriptions.
The campaign, titled “We’ve Got You,” was launched on June 16 and will continue until July 31.
Also, as part of its efforts to ease economic pressure on households and improve access to digital TV services, the campaign offers a free upgrade for both active and returning customers.
Speaking on the campaign, John Ugbe, chief executive officer (CEO) of MultiChoice Nigeria, said the initiative reflects the company’s commitment to rewarding loyalty and enhancing daily viewing experiences.
“We want to ensure our customers feel appreciated and have access to the best entertainment every day,” Ugbe said.
“The ‘We’veGot You’ campaign is about making premium content more accessible and showing that DStv offers something for everyone, not just football fans.
“By repositioning itself as a platform for daily value, DStv aims to encourage content discovery across a wider array of genres, including movies, drama, kids’ programming, and news.
“This means more channels, more shows, and more reasons to tune in every day.”
The development comes amid MultiChoice Nigeria’s legal battle with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) over price hike.
Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) will, on Oct. 7, arraigned the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Qatar Airways, Mr Temi Birdzell, alongside the company and its top officers, over allegations bordering on breach of FCCPC Act, 2018.
The defendants will be arraigned before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Others to be arraigned with Birdzell are Stella Ihediwa, the Account Manager of the airline; Kennedy Chirchir, the Country Manager and Eva Ojeje, who is the Sales Manager of the company.
Although the arraignment was scheduled for Tuesday, the matter could not proceed.
Upon resumed hearing, none of the defendants was in court.
When the matter was called on Tuesday, none of the defendants was in court due to improper service of the court documents, including the hearing notice, on them.
FCCPC.’s lawyer, Chizenum Nsitem, told the court of their inability to serve four of the defendants, although the company was served.
Nsitem then sought an adjournment to enable them do the needful and the judge adjourned the matter until Oct. 7 for the defendants to take their plea.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the commission, in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/200/2025, dragged Qatar Airways, Birdzell, Ihediwa, Chirchir and Ojeje to court as 1st to 5th defendants respectively.
FCCPC, in the application dated May 26 but filed May 27, had preferred a two-count charge against the defendants.
The defendants were alleged to have failed to appear before FCCPC in compliance with a lawful summons of the commission dated Sept. 6, 2024, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 33 (3) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection (FCCPC) Act, 2018.
They were also accused to have on Sept. 18, 2024, intentionally withheld the production of documents in compliance wth a lawful summons of the commission, thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 111 of FCCP Act, 2018.
In count three, they were alleged to have on Sept. 18, 2024, engaged in the contravention of the consumer rights, thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 124(1) and punishable under Section 155 of the same Act.
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