UK subscribers to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or Disney Plus account have been warned they could be breaking the law by sharing passwords, after it was yesterday ruled it is illegal to do so.
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO), which published the new guidance in conjunction with the Facebook and Instagram owner Meta on Thursday, issued the ruling. IPO said: “Piracy is a major issue for the entertainment and creative industries.
“Pasting internet images into your social media without permission, or accessing films, TV series or live sports events through Kodi boxes, hacked Fire Sticks or apps without paying a subscription is an infringement of copyright and you may be committing a crime.”
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It warned anybody “accessing … without paying a subscription” is breaking the law, as reported by Birmingham Live. It is a criminal and civil offence, it said.
It warned anybody breaking the rules could theoretically face prosecution over doing so. An IPO spokesperson said: "There are a range of provisions in criminal and civil law which may be applicable in the case of password sharing where the intent is to allow a user to access copyright-protected works without payment.
“These provisions may include breach of contractual terms, fraud or secondary copyright infringement, depending on the circumstances. Where these provisions are provided in civil law, it would be up to the service provider to take action through the courts if required.”
Chengyi Long, Netflix’s director of product innovation, said Netflix has “always made it easy for people who live together to share their Netflix account”, allowing people to create separate profiles on a single subscription. But, Ms Long added: “accounts are being shared between households, impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films for our members".
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