The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has ordered the suspension of several.ng domain names are accused of running large-scale online piracy activities involving both Nigerian and foreign music. The move was made in response to a request from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and in coordination with the Nigerian Internet Registration Association (NiRA), which manages the.ng domain.
The impacted websites, val9ja.com.ng, tunesloaded.com.ng, voxnaija.com.ng, music.360media.com.ng, medianub.com.ng, naijalevels.com.ng, and mp3juice.com.ng, were taken offline by their registrars after they were discovered to be spreading illegal music and audiovisual works.
According to the NCC's Special Taskforce against Online Piracy (STOP), the sites were unlawfully spreading protected content, depriving creators and investors of cash while undermining legitimate digital platforms.
The commission stated that the intervention is part of its ongoing enforcement efforts under the Copyright Act 2022, which allows it to investigate and combat online copyright infringement across websites, streaming platforms, and digital distribution channels.
Dr. John Asein, Director-General of NCC, stated that the suspension of the domains sends a clear message that Nigeria will not tolerate digital piracy. He praised NiRA and the registrars participating, and reassured copyright holders that the NCC is collaborating with national and international partners to boost anti-piracy activities.
He invited the public to report suspicious websites to stop.copyright.gov.ng, and stated that the Commission is fully prepared to take action against all copyright offenders in order to defend Nigeria's creative economy.
“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.