You Paid to Watch It — Do You Have the Right to Share It?

Tunde paid for streaming subscriptions and downloaded a new Nollywood film to watch offline. When a friend asked for a copy, he sent it over. By the next morning, the file had reached 12 people. One recipient later uploaded the film to a large Telegram group, and it eventually appeared on a public website. Tunde believed he had done nothing wrong because he paid for the subscription. But paying for access is not always the same as owning the right to distribute a film. Subscription terms and copyright law may limit how downloaded content can be shared, especially when it reaches a wider audience without permission. Where should the line be drawn? Is sharing a downloaded movie with friends harmless, or can it amount to copyright infringement?

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