On July 20, the Nigerian Copyright Commission NCC announced it had successfully suspended MovieBox.ng, a platform accused of illegally streaming films, music, and live sports. The move, done in collaboration with the Nigeria Internet Registration Association NiRA, was hailed as a step forward in Nigerias battle against online piracy and formed part of the Commissions broader Stand Together Against Online Piracy STOP campaign.
Yet, within days, the platform re-emerged under a new domainMovieBox.phoffering the same pirated content with little disruption to its users. This swift comeback cast doubt on the effectiveness of domain takedowns and exposed the challenges Nigeria faces in enforcing copyright in the digital era.
The NCC had cited evidence that MovieBox.ng was part of a larger network using clone and mirror domains to bypass detection. According to Director General Dr. John Asein, the site operated with fallback mechanisms designed to evade takedown measures. He urged ISPs, web hosts, and intermediaries to act promptly on takedown notices, in accordance with the Copyright Act of 2022. While the intent was clear, the platforms immediate migration to an offshore domain revealed a glaring limitation: suspending a Nigerian domain does little to stop a piracy operation with access to international registrars.
This strategy of shifting domains is nothing new in the world of piracy. Sites like 123Movies and FMovies have long used rotating addresses and backup servers to stay online. MovieBox appears to follow the same playbook, replicating its library and interface under different top-level domains. These mirror sites often rely on the same infrastructure and hosting networks, making enforcement more complex. The result is a persistent presence that enforcement agencies struggle to eliminate completely.
