Borrow Netflix? Streaming sharing could become illegal in the UK

• Sharing streaming passwords is illegal in the UK;

• The move was confirmed by the British Intellectual Property Office (UPO);

• The law may support companies that want to restrict the sharing of logins.

Subscribe to the Services Streaming And sharing passwords with co-workers, friends and family is a common practice around the world. After all, with so many listing options, it’s more expensive to keep paying for movie and series remakes.

But sharing a Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or Disney Plus password may be illegal in the UK Information It was published by the British Intellectual Property Office (UPO) on Wednesday (21).

The regulator reinforced that the simple act of providing a login to a family member or friend could become a violation of local copyright law.

“There are many provisions in criminal and civil law that apply in the case of password sharing, where the intent is to permit user Access to copyrighted works is free. These provisions may include breach of contractual terms, fraud or minor copyright infringement depending on the circumstances,” the UPO said.

In this case, it is necessary to call the authorities so that the user is charged for the illegal act of sharing streaming passwords. Then, there is a InvestigationAnd evidence can be gathered to verify whether passwords are shared or not.

This is a loophole that can be exploited by streaming platforms that start blocking access via location. The move has already been explored by Netflix, with the potential to create more affordable plans that reduce the likelihood of password sharing.