It happens all the time. You watch an episode of an exciting show on YouTube and want to catch up with the rest, but can’t find any.
You then jump to Netflix to search for the show but to no avail. Now what?
You decide to explore free streaming websites this time. Luckily, you find the complete season of the show. It’s time to download it or watch all the episodes online.
Avoiding premium streaming services for these free streaming platforms looks like a better deal to you. It will save money, after all, right?
Well, not so fast!
According to the U.S. Copyright Office, watching, torrenting, or downloading copyrighted digital content without authorization is illegal.
Despite these guidelines, the number of websites streaming unlicensed content and those viewing it continues to rise.
MUSO, a piracy research company, reports that from 2021 to 2022, the unlicensed streaming of movies rose by 38.6%. Also, traffic to free streaming sites grew by 8.8%.
While watching unlicensed streams saves you money and provides access to premium content, it comes with risks – both in the cyber and legal sense.
This guide will discuss the risks, fines, penalties, and other legal consequences of watching illegal streams. I will also explain ways to avoid the legal implications that may arise.
Let’s get started.
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The Risks Associated With Using Unlicensed Streaming Sites
While most unlicensed streaming sites are free, you pay in other ways. So, before visiting such sites to watch a movie, here are some risks you need to know.
Accessing and Abusing Your Personal Data
Most streaming platforms require users to sign up before watching TV shows and movies. Other sites will direct you to a different page that requires registration.
The registration process often requires providing personal details, including your name, email, and sometimes your phone number.
The website owners have full access to your personal information. Hackers may not own these websites, but they may be used to develop or maintain such platforms.
Most websites are susceptible to hacks; your information will also be in the wrong hands if that happens. Plus, some websites can sell your data to the dark web, exposing you to the dreaded underworld of cyber attacks.
You cannot control what these streaming websites can do with your personal information.
At worst, cybercriminals can access your information and use it for illegal purposes, including phishing attacks, identity theft, hacking your email, targeting your contacts, accessing your online accounts associated with the email, and more.
The website’s privacy policy is worth checking to see how the company handles users’ data.
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Malware and Viruses
Unlawful streaming websites are often infected with different types of malware. Cybercriminals often bait users by making the content available for free.
Malware can be attached to a video or web page. Website owners may partner with other cybercriminals to include malware on their websites, taking over your device.
When you access the website, the malware is installed on your phone or computer without your permission or knowledge.
But that’s not all. Some streaming websites may require downloading piracy add-ons and apps to access and watch free shows and movies. These apps or add-ons may contain hidden malware that attaches to your wireless network, exploring the network’s security loopholes.
Malware can be in the form of ads, too (adware). Do you click on a video and get redirected to another site? The destination website may have pop-up windows or buttons requiring you to “download now.”
You will install adware on your computer if you click on those applications. The adware shows aggressive and intrusive ads to visitors, earning the developer money.
Installing the best antimalware programs on your devices can help protect you from the harm caused by such malware.
Bloatware
Have you ever noticed your usually fast device becoming abnormally slow, yet your internet is fast? If that happens after streaming from a free movie website, your device likely has bloatware.
Unlicensed streaming websites contain bloatware, a program that slows down your device. Clicking on the website’s buttons can accidentally install unwanted software onto your computer.
Here are steps to remove bloatware from your Windows computer.
Legal Consequences of Watching Illegal Streams
What Does Illegal Streaming Entail?
Illegal streaming refers to viewing copyrighted content, like a movie or TV show online, from an unauthorized source on-demand or in real time.
Streaming entails watching the content on a website, application, IPTV, and other streaming devices connected to a smart TV.
The device you use to access the media content online doesn’t matter, though. If the source has no legal rights to play or distribute the content, that’s equivalent to illegal streaming.
In countries with copyright laws on illegal streaming, watching unlicensed streams can potentially lead to prosecution, including jail terms or fines.
In most countries, it’s criminal to download and keep the file on your device.
I will explain more about this in the next sections.
Copyright Infringement and Its Implications
Most jurisdictions with copyright laws protecting intellectual property consider illegal streams punishable through charges.
Other countries consider illegal streaming a punishable crime, meaning it’s illegal and can attract criminal fines. Besides, some countries consider it a civil issue, with the harshest punishment being a lawsuit that may result in non-criminal penalties.
That said, streaming illegal content is a worldwide concern, and copyright laws often apply in the country where people consume the content rather than where the content is hosted or where the rightful content owner created the content.
For example, suppose you are in the US watching a non-licensed version of a Spanish movie hosted on a German website. In that case, you will face charges under American copyright laws on behalf of the Spanish copyright holder.
Most copyright holders from the United States are the most affected by copyright infringements and often go to great lengths to safeguard their content.
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Is Watching Unauthorized Streams a Criminal Offense in the United States?
However, you will be surprised to note that according to the Protecting Lawful Streaming Act (PLSA) of 2021 and the Copyright Act of 1976, watching illegal streams in the US isn’t a crime.
The reason is simple: accessing and watching an illegal stream by individual users doesn’t amount to copyright infringement. The reason is that end-users neither reproduce nor distribute the media content; they only watch it via a transient copy.
Here’s the thing: copyright only links liability to public performances. That means watching illegal streams can become an offense if you reproduce (download), distribute, and share the content with the public.
Therefore, watching a stream from an unlicensed website doesn’t imply public performance. Similarly, watching a stream from an individual device isn’t equivalent to public performance.
Thus, hosting a stream, or rather operating an illegal streaming website, or showing the stream to other people, such as at the bar or any other public event, is a crime.
Penalties in Other Countries
I will highlight several countries, from those with lenient laws and penalties regarding watching illegal streams, such as Canada, to those with harsher regulations, like Italy.
You better know how different countries deal with watching illegal streams so you can be on the safe side when you visit them.
Canada
Streaming shows or movies on illegal sites in Canada isn’t against the law. According to the Online Streaming Act, what you listen to or watch is up to you.
But, Canadian law isn’t clear whether downloading files from these sites is illegal. However, according to some sources, downloading the content for personal use is allowed, but you will need permission to distribute the copyrighted content.
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Australia
Generally, streaming movies from free sites is illegal in Australia, especially if the website lacks permission from the primary copyright owner to share the content.
Australia’s copyright law protects the original works of filmmakers, artists, composers, and authors. That means only the copyright holders have the right to perform, distribute, and reproduce their work.
Thus, streaming a show or movie from a free site means accessing the movie’s copy that’s been created without the copyright holder’s consent. Simply put, you are committing copyright infringement, which is illegal.
Nonetheless, various free streaming sites are legal because they have the copyright license to distribute the content. Examples of such websites are:
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United Kingdom
In the UK, streaming movies from unlicensed websites is illegal if the copyright owner has not permitted those sites to distribute content.
Case in point:
In 2021, hundreds of people received letters from lawyers demanding fines of £800 after watching Ava, a Hollywood movie, via Virgin Media. The film was only available exclusively on Netflix.
This scenario shows the legal consequences of watching copyrighted movies on unauthorized or free sites.
In the United Kingdom, watching illegal streams is a judicial case that attracts fines rather than a criminal one. The maximum fine is £50,000.
However, operators of illicit streaming sites can face a jail term. For example, five people were sentenced to at least 30 years after being caught illegally streaming the Premier League to 50,000 users.
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Japan
In Japan, watching movies from non-licensed websites isn’t illegal. However, downloading licensed movies has been criminalized since 2012 when Japan passed a law toward the same.
Those found violating this law could face up to two years in prison. The problem is this law did not cover multiple niches, including manga (local comics).
To curb extensive damages resulting from downloading pirated content, the government outlawed and criminalized the downloading of pirated work, such as manga, books, and photographs, in 2019.
However, many people opposed this stance for being too strict to the extent that someone could be prosecuted for taking a screenshot. As a result, the government abandoned this law.
Japan’s Revised Copyright Act on Watching and Downloading Illegal Streams
The Copyright Act was revised in 2020. The new law cracks down on leech websites, which are simply sites that do not host illegal content but rather contain links to pirate websites.
Specifically, operating leech websites and posting URLs to pirated content on a leech website and app is illegal.
The consequences are severe: A leech website operator can face up to five years in prison, up to Y5 million in fines, or both. Also, providing URLs to pirated sites can lead to up to three years in jail, up to Y3 million in fines, or both.
According to this new law, watching pirated content online isn’t illegal.
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The Criminal and Non-Criminal Downloads
What does the Copyright Act amendment say about the downloading of pirated content? Well, the new law makes it illegal to download online content except videos or music. However, other forms of downloading are exempted, including:
- Downloading pirated content unintentionally
- Downloading parodies and derivative works
- Screenshotting or downloading minor sections of pirated works, like a few panels of manga
- Downloading pirated works under unique circumstances that don’t unfairly prejudice the copyright owner’s interests
Notably, other forms of downloading are criminal, and copyright infringement occurs when a user downloads pirated content repeatedly or offers it to the public at a fee.
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Italy
Italy is among the first nations to take the harshest stance against people who use illegal streams. From August 8, 2023, if you are an Italian resident caught watching pirated streams, you risk paying up to 5,000 euros as a fine.
The copyright law supports this fine, and Authority Communications (AGCOM), the country’s telecom regulator, approves it.
The law now gives AGCOM more powers to crack down on illegal streams. The telecom regulator no longer needs the judge’s approval to block them.
Instead, it can order internet service providers (ISPs), social media platforms, and search engines to block domain names and network traffic to sites streaming content illegally.
After getting these orders, ISPs must block users from accessing these sites within 30 minutes or risk fines.
The amendment raises the fine for unauthorized access to copyrighted content to 5,000 euros for users who do it repeatedly. First offenders are charged 154 euros as a fine.
These charges apply to both distributors and viewers of pirated content. In 2022, for example, the Italian financial police located the homes of pirate IPTV services subscribers, sending them letters to pay 154 euros for committing an offense the first time or 1.032 euros for repeated violations.
Additionally, they took down 500 web resources along with affiliated Telegram channels distributing unauthorized streams.
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Criminal Charges – Can You Face Jail Time for Watching Illegal Streams?
So far, no individual has ever been sentenced to prison for watching unlicensed streams, even though some jurisdictions can implement a jail term. For example, the UK’s Digital Economy Act states that watching unauthorized streams can land you in jail for ten years.
Often, those who went to prison hosted or distributed illegal streams.
For example, Stephen Millington got a 30-year jail sentence for developing software that let people stream Netflix, BT Sport, and Sky content for free.
Another offender, Paul Faulkner, got his 16-month jail term for running an illicit IPTV stream focusing on Premier League football.
How to Avoid Legal Consequences?
To avoid being tracked, getting into trouble with law enforcement, or paying hefty fines for viewing unlicensed content, do the following:
Use Legal Streaming Platforms
Most legal streaming platforms, such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Disney Plus, charge subscription fees to stream content, but that’s the cost you pay to watch your favorite content and have peace of mind.
These platforms are also safe to use, so you won’t have to worry about malware. Their servers are also fast to give you a powerful streaming experience.
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Use a VPN
A VPN hides your IP address and encrypts your online traffic. As a result, it becomes difficult for anybody to identify or track you online.
The best VPNs for streaming have a no-logs policy. Thus, whether you are watching or scrolling a movie list, they won’t share sensitive details about you or your device. Simply put, they keep your personal information private.
A VPN bypasses censorship and geo-restrictions if you cannot view specific content in your location.
Most parts of the world, including North America and Europe, allow streaming with a VPN. So, whether in the UK or the USA, you can stream on any platform without worrying about legal issues.
However, some countries heavily restrict or ban VPN use. Examples include Russia, China, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Belarus. Therefore, we advise that you exercise caution if you are considering streaming content with a VPN in any of these countries.
Please note even when using a VPN, illegal activities, such as watching movies on unlicensed free streaming websites for downloading copyrighted material without permission, are still illegal.
While a VPN will hide what you do online, giving you more privacy and safety, it doesn’t legalize unlawful internet activities.
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Conclusion
Watching illegal streams is unlawful in most countries. Most governments have copyright acts that allow law enforcement agents to track your location and demand fines.
Before accessing content on an unofficial free streaming website, find out what the local law says about it.
It’s always essential to stream content via legal and authorized platforms. While you must pay to use these services, you will enjoy a seamless streaming experience and peace of mind.
You will also avoid the legal consequences associated with using illegal streams.
