Multichoice faces hurdle in piracy suit against Safaricom, Jamii

The Court of Appeal has suspended a High Court decision ordering Safaricom to pull down 141 streaming websites airing content pirated from Multichoice, the firm behind DSTV.

The High Court order dated November 26, 2020 also directed at Jamii Telecom was to remain in force until the case filed by Multichoice is heard and determined.

Multichoice had sued the two companies targeting websites that illegally stream football matches pirated from Supersport, its premium product, hence denying it million in revenue.

Justice Winfrida Okwany had directed Safaricom and Jamii Telecom to take down the sites agreeing with the South Africa-based pay TV provider that they infringed on its copyright.

But Safaricom challenged the decision at the Court of Appeal, hence the decision by the Appellate judges to suspend execution of the High Court until the Safaricom appeal is heard.

Safaricom argued that the move would affect its business, which Justices Hannah Okwengu, Jamila Mohammed and Fatuma Sichale agreed with pending the determination of the suit.