Sharing your Netflix password might be illegal, says UK government
Netflix password sharing
The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) said Tuesday that sharing your Netflix password might be illegal as it breaks copyright law. Not just in UK, but it is extremely common for people in most countries to share their Netflix passwords. However, it is against the terms of service agreements.
However, Netflix has never said that it will take legal action against such users. Reference to password sharing has also been removed from IPO's guidance on the government website. However, the legal standing on the matter remains the same, a 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," it said.
Also Read |Do you share your Netflix account with friends and family? Be prepared to pay extra soon
"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."
Meanwhile, Netflix is planning to make things easier for people who borrow their friends'accounts. It aims to "make it easy" for them to set up their own or transfer their profile into a new account. "Sub-accounts" for family or friends subject to extra payment are also on the cards. The platform is likely to roll out such features by early 2023.
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According to research firm Digital i, a quarter of UK Netflix subscribers share their passwords.
During Netflix's early days in the country, it cryptically encouraged users to share their passwords. However, this led to a decline in its growth. To counter the problem, Netflix came up with different price tiers to enable people to purchase their own accounts.
(With inputs from agencies)
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