South Africa: Counterfeit Remotes and Copyright Infringement Plague Multichoice

According to the large African broadcasting company, Multichoice, 5,000 counterfeit remotes were confiscated by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and Customs authorities for infringing their DSTV trademark logo. The remotes were later environmentally destroyed by Electronic Cemetery, an ITAD and e-waste management company.

“MultiChoice takes this matter very seriously and is committed to protecting its brand and trademarks from being exploited by pirates. We have been working closely with Adams & Adams to address this issue and we are also grateful for the support of the SAPS and Customs authorities,” said Tumi Masekela, MultiChoice’s executive head of corporate affairs.

This follows a recent conviction of two perpetrators of copyright infringement who were selling Android TV Boxes and IPTV subscriptions which allowed unlawful access to the copyright protected content owned by MultiChoice.

With a view to combatting the piracy scourge across the African continent, MultiChoice has provided extensive support for a Pan-African campaign to fight content piracy known as Partners Against Piracy.

“We believe that it is crucial to raise public awareness about the importance of combating counterfeit goods’ illegal importation into South Africa. Our efforts in this regard are part of a broader campaign aimed at protecting consumers and businesses from the dangers of counterfeiting.

“We urge other businesses to take similar measures to protect their intellectual property rights and ensure that counterfeit goods are not sold in South Africa. We would also like to encourage the public to be vigilant when purchasing goods and report any suspected counterfeit products to the authorities,” concluded Masekela.

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