Johannesburg – MultiChoice has announced the destruction of 5 000 counterfeit remote controls that infringed on the company’s DStv logo trademark.
The counterfeit goods undermined MultiChoice’s intellectual property rights and posed a significant threat to the brand owners’ profitability and reputation.
The counterfeit remote controls were confiscated by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and Customs authorities before they were disposed of by Electronic Cemetery, an environmentally-minded 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,” says MultiChoice Executive Head of Corporate Affairs, Tumi Masekela.
“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.”
The implications of piracy are far-reaching and devastating especially for the economy.
It is for this reason MultiChoice has thrown its weight behind Partners Against Piracy (PAP), a Pan-African campaign to fight content piracy.
PAP works to protect the livelihoods of the thousands of creatives and broadcast professionals and support the local economy.
In November 2022, Multichoice and Irdeto, the world leader in digital platform cybersecurity welcomed the convictions of two copyright infringement perpetrators after they were arrested for selling Android TV Boxes and IPTV subscriptions.
The Android TV Box and IPTV subscriptions allows access to premium copyright protected content, including DStv content.
”We believe that it is crucial to raise public awareness about the importance of combating counterfeit goods’ illegal importation into South Africa,” said Masekela.
“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.”
