Multichoice Onboards Culture Ministry, IP Authority to Fight Digital Piracy in Ethiopia

A tripartite agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Sports, Multichoice Group, and the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Authority (EIPA) aims to tackle digital piracy in Ethiopia. The Memorandum of Understanding, signed at the Sheraton Addis Hotel on Tuesday, targets contributing to legislation, consultation, and capacity building to enhance copyright law protection for digital content.

Keabetswe Modimoeng (PhD), Group Executive Regulatory and Corporate Affairs at Multichoice Group, said both broadcasting and cyber piracy threaten their business operations. The former includes the use of cable networks established in other countries, unauthorized public screenings, and unlicensed use of decoders to distribute content. Cyber piracy primarily involves webcasting, file sharing, and IP (Internet Protocol) TV.

“Sport is one of the leading content types being pirated,” Kiabetswe said in response to questions from Shega.

The executive said they spend millions in foreign currency to buy the rights to broadcast certain types of content, which turns to loss the moment the content is pirated. He indicated the implications go beyond revenue loss to undermine the Company’s potential investments in local content production.

“Once someone gets used to consuming pirated content,” Kiabetswe noted. ” They don’t return to legitimate sources.”

Piracy issues in Ethiopia are governed thus far by the copyright proclamation and its amendment a decade later, and the computer crime proclamation, which bestow rights to owners of video, audio, written, or broadcasted content. However, enforcement has lagged behind contemporary innovations in technology. Authorities acknowledge the need to leverage technology and modern legal instruments to tackle digital piracy in Ethiopia.

Digital piracy has flourished over the past decade in tandem with the expansion of high-speed internet and affordable technology across Africa. A report by global cybersecurity firm Iredeto indicates that the number of global pirate site visits reached a new record of 215 billion across all media sectors in 2022. Last year, Multichoice Group teamed up with the cybersecurity firm to conduct a series of raids across South Africa, including against piracy rings like the Waka TV piracy ring, which had been illegally distributing the former’s content. Ethiopia’s experience reflects the broader trend across Africa, compounded by underdeveloped copyright laws and the lack of technical capacity for strict oversight.

Endalu Mosisa, Deputy Director General of EIPA, said they are working on formulating legislation to tackle the growing threat imposed by digital piracy. He indicated that a technology-based royalty payment framework was currently being developed in cooperation with the Information Network Security Agency (INSA) and the Artificial Intelligence Institute.

“It should warrant royalty rights for both local and international content when completed,” Endalu said.

He underscored the need to collaborate with several stakeholders to ensure that payment for content is a seamless and transparent process.

The deputy director also pointed out that they were in the preparation stages for a national intellectual property database with the help of the Ministry of Innovation and Technology.

“We expect it to be completed before year’s end,” he told Shega.

The tripartite agreement signed today is expected to lead to a subsequent action plan that includes continued collaboration between signatories. Nafisa Al-Mahdi, state minister of culture and sports and the progenitor of the idea for a tripartite agreement, said complaints about digital piracy have become all too common. She emphasized the need to leverage emerging technology to address concerns from creatives as the digital economy continues to expand.

“We are committed to this effort; this is not some photo op,” the state minister noted.