Netflix password sharing may be unlawful – UK Government
Netflix password sharing may be unlawful – The Government of the United Kingdom has warned against sharing passwords for the online streaming service, Netflix by its citizens.
In spite of the fact that sharing passwords for streaming services is normally against the terms of service agreements, it is popular in the UK for individuals who do not live together to do so.
The claims were made by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) on Tuesday, saying that those who participate in such acts have broken the copyright law.
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Never once has Netflix said it will take legal action in such circumstances.
Since then, the IPO has deleted the mention of password sharing from its instructions on the official website. However, a spokeswoman insisted that neither the IPO’s advice nor the legal stance on password sharing had changed.
It said that exchanging passwords was illegal and unlawful.
“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,” it said.
“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.”
There is no proof that any of the main UK streaming video providers would act in this manner.
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According to Netflix, it wants to “make it easy” for users who use other people’s accounts to set up their own, move their profile into a new account, and create “sub-accounts” where users can charge more for family or friends.
In early 2023, it promised to begin “more substantially” implementing these capabilities.
Netflix password sharing may be unlawful – UK Government.
