Govt Goes After Kenyans Sharing Movies, TV Series On Social Media

The Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO), in partnership with the Communication Authority of Kenya (CAK), has announced that it has launched a crackdown on social media users fond of sharing copyrighted content that includes movies and TV series.

In a statement sent to Viral Tea's newsdesk, KECOBO revealed that it had received complaints from several entities concerning the infringement of their works through social media platforms.

The board under Executive Director Edward Sigei, revealed that though there are signs of similar activities in other social media platforms including Telegram, it is most rampant on Facebook and WhatsApp platforms.

"Information available indicates that several Facebook and WhatsApp groups have been formed for the sole purpose of sharing popular TV content, movies and pirate subscription codes.

Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) Director General Edward Sigei. /FILE

"There are also persons offering pirate Portable Document Format (PDF) or soft copies of books. There also exist websites offering illegal pirate streams affecting football content as well," the statement read in part.

KECOBO resultantly informed the public that these acts constitute an infringement under the Copyright Act more particularly the exclusive making available right and offering for sale and rental infringing Copyright works.

Kenyans were warned that under the Copyright Act, any person found committing the above offences shall be liable to a fine not exceeding Ksh500,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding four years or both.

KECOBO announced that in conjunction with CA and working closely with the social media platforms, it has commenced investigations on the incidents intending to close down and pursue legal actions against owners of those social media accounts.

"Infringement of Copyright (piracy) attracts both criminal and civil liability for the owners of those pirate social media accounts.

"This is, therefore, to alert the public of the ongoing pirate activities and warn them against participation as those activities undermine respect for Intellectual Property and the rights of artists to make a decent living from their creative works. It exposes one to theft of personal information and supports illegal causes," the statement added.

Meanwhile, KECOBO announced that it is welcoming any information that may lead to the arrest of the perpetrators at the addresses indicated in the advisory.

Kenyans can do so by reaching out to them through its hotline number 0703885033 or [email protected]

The notice comes after Viral Tea reported that Kenya Police officers drawn from the Cybercrime and Crime Scene Forensic Units alongside the Partners Against Piracy (PAP) Association of Kenya mounted a sting operation on an Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Nairobi accused of illegally streaming live sports content such as the English Premier League (EPL).

The operation led to the confiscation of crucial equipment used in the illicit operation, including 5 mobile phones, 2 Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) headsets and 3 Central Processing Units (CPU).

Other items recovered were 12 hard drives, a laptop, 4 internet switches, and 1 optical line terminal.

"This intervention has disrupted the illegal services provided to approximately 3,000 subscribers in the Kasarani-Mwiki-Santon areas, who were illegally accessing premium content such as English Premier League (EPL), WWC, and La Liga live sports through the WeCast App," a statement sent to our newsdesk read in part.