The Film and Publication Board (FPB) has revealed the names of four companies which refuse to register with it.
In an organisational performance update to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications, the FPB said certain distributors were not compliant as of March.
Earlier in 2017, the FPB confirmed that Netflix had not given its content to the board for classification, nor had it paid the R795,000 “licensing fee” for online distribution.
FPB COO Sipho Risiba said the honeymoon will soon be over for distributors which do not comply.

Distributors refusing to pay

Distributors which were not compliant in March were:
  • BlackBerry – “Their contract expired in January 2016 and have not renewed it.”
  • Microsoft Windows App Store – “Indicated that they don’t need to register with the Board for content distribution as they are a global company.”
  • Netflix – “Refusing to make the annual licence fee payment.”
  • MTN VU – “Refusing to sign contract with regards to the licence fee.”
The FPB said it is reviewing litigation options against the companies.

Distributors which complied

The FPB also listed distributors which have complied.
  • Google Play App Store
  • Apple iTunes
  • MultiChoice (BoxOffice/ShowMax)
  • OnTapTV

FPB comment

The FPB declined to state whether there has been changes to the lists above.
“The FPB shall refrain from mentioning any specific names at this point,” it told MyBroadband.
“The distribution agreements have a confidentiality clause and therefore we cannot disclose the names of the respective entities.”
“However, we do continuously engage with entities which fall under our jurisdiction to advise them on matters related to compliance with our Act and legislative framework.”
“The FPB can confirm that it is seeking legal counsel on the best way to approach the matter.”
source: mybroadband