Piracy App MovieBox Cited for EU Watch List
Rights holders have linked the app, which has over 305 million downloads, to smartphone infrastructure.
Updated on Oct. 7, 2026 in Cybersecurity
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The Motion Picture Association and Canal+ have petitioned the European Commission to include the MovieBox app in its 2027 Counterfeit and Piracy Watch List. The application has surpassed 305.6 million downloads through the Palm Store, which is preinstalled on Transsion smartphones.
Why it matters
The complaint alleges that MovieBox provides illicit access to copyrighted film, television, and sports content. This action highlights increasing scrutiny on preinstalled software distribution platforms in major emerging markets.
MovieBox has recorded 305.6 million total downloads, representing a 108% increase since August 2025. Rightsholders allege that domain registrations and SSL certificates link the app to the backend infrastructure of Transsion, which held 61.5% of the African mobile market in 2024.
The players
Transsion
A hardware manufacturer that produces Tecno, Infinix, and itel smartphones and maintains the preinstalled Palm Store.
Canal+
A media company and pay-TV operator with significant interests in the African market through MultiChoice.
European Commission
The executive branch of the European Union responsible for maintaining the Counterfeit and Piracy Watch List.
Excellent Innovation Limited
The Hong Kong-based entity listed as the developer of the MovieBox application on the Palm Store.
The details
MovieBox is distributed via the Palm Store, an application marketplace preinstalled on smartphones manufactured by Transsion under the Tecno, Infinix, and itel brands. Canal+ claims that technical indicators, including SSL certificates—cryptographic keys used to verify website identity—and domain registrations, connect the service to Transsion’s infrastructure. The developer, Excellent Innovation Limited, has previously shifted domains, including moving from moviebox.ng to moviebox.ph following prior enforcement activity.
Timeline
2024: Transsion captured 61.5% of the African mobile phone market.
2025: Enforcement actions targeted the moviebox.ng domain.
June 16, 2026: MovieBox downloads reached 243.3 million.
October 7, 2026: Total downloads for the app surpassed 305.6 million.
Spring 2027: The European Commission expects to publish its Counterfeit and Piracy Watch List.
The Tech Race
This development follows a pattern of heightened regulatory focus on global app distribution networks and their liability for hosted content. The investigation serves as a critical test for how the European Commission will weigh platform responsibility for apps preinstalled on devices.
Users of Tecno, Infinix, and itel smartphones may see changes in the availability of the Palm Store or its associated applications depending on the outcome of the Commission's inquiry. The investigation focuses on apps providing unlicensed media access, which may lead to platform-wide policy updates regarding preinstalled software.
The takeaway
The case highlights the growing intersection between hardware-level software distribution and international intellectual property enforcement. Observers should track the European Commission's 2027 list publication to see if Transsion's Palm Store remains under the purview of these piracy findings.
What happens next
The European Commission will formally invite the developers of MovieBox and the Palm Store to respond to the allegations before the 2027 Watch List is finalized in the spring of 2027.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest developments in Cybersecurity.
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