Partners Against Piracy initiative launched to combat the scourge of piracy

The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola has joined hands with the creative industry and reaffirmed his commitment to fight against the scourge of pirated content.

Speaking at the launch of Partners Against Piracy initiative held at Montecasino on March 24, Lamola said his department would work with all stakeholders to fight the criminal syndicates that rob the industry of billions every year.

He said the South African Cybercrimes Act of 2020 empowered law enforcement agencies to protect the industry by acting against piracy and allowed for harsher sentences on content pirates.

“We are constantly improving our systems and working to arrest the ringleaders of organised cybercrimes such as content piracy. We look forward to working with Partners Against Piracy to wage a coordinated war against piracy.”

Chairperson of Copyright Coalition of South Africa Chola Makgamathe said piracy robbed content creators and rights holders of the compensation they were entitled to.

“This is a big monster with its tentacles across the world. It takes place across multiple jurisdictions. That is why we need partners like the Department of Justice and Correctional Services, business, civil society, and other NGOs. We call on everyone with a stake in the war against piracy to join us,” Makgamathe said.

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