The Film and Publications Board has issued fines ranging from R50,000 to R750,000 against 21 distributors that failed to comply with local content distribution regulations.
The Film and Publication Board’s (FPB’s) Enforcement Committee has issued fines against 21 non-compliant film and game distributors in South Africa.
These include companies such as Fortnite developer Epic Games, e-commerce platform Bob Shop, and anime streaming platform Crunchyroll.
“The fines range from R150,000 for the distribution of films/games in the Republic without being registered as distributors,” the FPB said.
It added that fines of R750,000 were issued for distributing unclassified adult films without a licence, while R50,000 fines were issued for distributing films without clearly displaying age restrictions.
The FPB said its enforcement actions resulted from physical and online compliance inspections by FPB compliance officers.
“Distributors were found to be in contravention of the provisions in the Films and Publications Act, and as a result, fines were imposed,” the FPB said, listing the following distributors:
The FPB said fines were issued for various contraventions, including distributing films or games in South Africa without being registered with the FPB as distributors.
Fines were also issued for distributing films that hadn’t been classified, distributing unclassified adult films and distributing such without a licence to conduct the business of adult premises.
Some companies were fined for distributing films without clearly displaying the age restrictions and consumer advice imposed on them.
Bob Shop told MyBroadband that its fine related to the FPB’s registration and classification requirements for films and games listed by independent third-party sellers on its marketplace.
“It’s not about Bob Shop distributing prohibited or harmful content, and there’s no consumer complaint or allegation of harm involved,” Bob Shop said.
The FPB said its Enforcement Committee is independent, impartial, and performs its functions without fear, favour, or prejudice, and acts in accordance with the law.
“The Enforcement Committee has the powers to investigate all cases referred to it by the Board for adjudication in respect of non-compliance with any provision of the Act,” the FPB said.
It added that, where appropriate, the Enforcement Committee has the power to impose a fine or suspend a registration certificate.
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