Kenyans used to stream football from illegal sites have their days numbered after a court ruling.
This is after the High Court ordered two internet providers in Kenya to pull down or disable all websites pirating content owned by MultiChoice.
MultiChoice moved to court stating it had exclusive rights to air sports content across the globe and their business was being affected by the emergence of illegal streaming sites.
In her ruling, Justice Wilfrida Okwany issued temporary orders targeting sites alleged to be airing football content without approval from relevant bodies.
"Section 35B of the Copyright Act obligates an Internet service provider to take down any infringing content within 48 hours of being served with a takedown notice," the plaintiff argued.
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However, the unnamed internet providers argued that they do not own the pirated sites.
The providers noted that the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) is mandated to regulate the sites and content aired in Kenya.
Multichoice which operates DSTV filed the case, based on the Copyright (Amendment) Act 2019, which introduced new laws to gag copyright infringement in Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
Section 35B of the Act states that a person whose rights have been infringed by content to which access is being offered by an Internet service provider may request, by way of a takedown notice, that the ISP removes the infringing content.
Sports fanatics who find multichoice services expensive have turned to streamings website to keep up with live matches from different parts of the globe.
Notably, the websites have been cropping up at a high rate. The matter is further complicated by the fact that internet charges in the country have dropped significantly.
