By PRISCILLA OSAJE

The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) says it has suspended several .NG domain names that engaged in the large-scale, unauthorised distribution of copyrighted sound recordings and other creative works.

Director-General of NCC, Dr John Asein, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Thursday by the commission’s Director, Public Affairs, Mrs Ijeoma Egbunike.

Asein said the enforcement action followed a formal request by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and was carried out in collaboration with the Nigerian Internet Registration Association (NiRA).

According to him, the suspended domains, that had taken offline through their respective registrars, include: •val9ja.com.ng, tunesloaded.com.ng, votoxnaija.com.ng,.

Others were music.360media.com.ng, medianub.com.ng;, naijalevels.com.ng;, and mp3juice.com.ng

“The Commission’s Special Taskforce against Online Piracy (STOP) said the websites were confirmed to be engaging in blatant copyright infringement by illegally sharing unlicensed music and audiovisual works belonging to Nigerian and foreign rights holders.

“Their activities undermined legitimate digital platforms and deprived creators and investors of due revenue.

“This intervention is part of the NCC’s robust and ongoing enforcement programme under the Copyright Act, 2022.

“This empowers the Commission to safeguard creators’ rights and to investigate and curb all forms of online copyright violations across websites, streaming platforms, and other digital distribution channels,” Asein said.

According to him, the NCC has worked closely with NIRA throughout the process and continues to engage domain registrars to ensure the swift suspension of any .ng domain found to be in breach of copyright law.

“The Commission remains committed to ensuring a safe, lawful, and thriving digital environment for Nigeria’s creative economy”.

Reaffirming the Commission’s resolve to intensify its online enforcement operations, Asein stressed that the suspensions send a strong signal that Nigeria would not tolerate digital piracy.

He thanked NIRA and the Registrars concerned, assuring rights holders that the Commission in collaboration with national and international partners, would continue to strengthen its anti-piracy strategies.

The NCC boss appealed to the public to report suspicious platforms or online activities to the Commission via stop.copyright.gov.ng.

“The Nigerian Copyright Commission remains vigilant and fully prepared to take decisive action against all forms of copyright infringement, in order to safeguard Nigeria’s creative space and its digital future,” Asein said. (NAN)