A federal high court in Abuja on Wednesday, March 4th, remanded the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NetNaija, Emmanuel Analike, in Kuje correctional centre for copyright infringement.
Analike was arraigned before Justice Suleiman Liman by the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) on charges of unlawfully possessing, reproducing, and distributing copyrighted movies and music through the NetNaija platform.
During the proceedings, Analike pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him under the copyright act 2022, which strengthened Nigeria’s legal framework for the protection of intellectual property and introduced tougher penalties for violations.
His counsel filed a formal application for bail during the hearing.
However, Justice Liman declined to rule on the application immediately and ordered that Analike be remanded in custody pending the court’s decision.
Justice Liman adjourned the case till March 9th for ruling on the bail application.
Analike established NetNaija Media Enterprises in 2019 as a sole proprietor focused on internet services.
The platform grew to become one of Nigeria’s most visited entertainment websites, offering downloads of pirated films, music, and videos to a broad audience.
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