Netflix password sharing could be illegal, says the UK government agency
The Intellectual Property Office has deemed giving out login information for streaming services - like Netflix, Disney+, Now TV and so on - to people who do not live in your household as a violation of British copyright law.
Companies like Netflix have made steps to clamp down on the practice but have not implied they would take legal action against offenders but the IPO believes that swapping details is both a civil and a criminal issue.
They 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."
Despite the guidance, there is nothing to signify that UK-based streaming networks would pursue this route as means to end the practice.
According to experts, the issue poses a “major challenges” to providers like Netflix - who have made it easier to transfer data to a new account - as research shows around 25 per cent of users in UK have doled out their password to others.
Matt Ross, a representative from Digital i told BBC News: "Following on from the addition of the ad-supported tier, there is clearly an opportunity for Netflix to generate significant additional revenue by cracking down on account sharing and converting those who do into subscribers in their own right.
"The question, however remains: what is motivating multiple households who share a premium account to do so?”
