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Anti-piracy crusaders won big after the Court of Appeal declined to certify as urgent an appeal to suspend orders compelling Jamii Telecom Limited to block 141 sports pirating websites in Kenya.

In a ruling delivered by the appellate court yesterday, Judge Imaana Laibuta (pictured) declined to declare the matter seeking the stay of the execution of the High Court decision that Jamii Telecom block sports pirates’ websites from infringing on copyrighted material.

Submission of ruling

“Having reconsidered the applicant’s (Jamii Telecom Ltd) Motion, the submissions of learned counsel for the applicant, I find that the hearing and determination of the applicant’s Motion aforesaid is not a matter of urgency and that the same does not merit certification,” he ruled.

The court decision comes after Jamii Telecom Limited filed an appeal challenging the orders by High court Judge Wilfrida Okwany dated June 23, who issued a permanent injunction compelling Jamii Telecom Limited in collaboration with the government to block live sports streaming sites on its network.

The Court of Appeal ruling comes days after MultiChoice filed an urgent certificate of urgency to cite the telecom for contempt of court.

Multichoice has stepped up efforts to block widespread piracy in sports by joining a coalition of broadcasters and telecommunications that aim to halt illicit streaming. The firm accuses Jamii Telecom Limited of continuing to fail to obey the orders compelling the internet service provider (ISP) to block sports pirates’ websites.