Netflix password sharing is illegal according to British government organization

The UK Intellectual Property Office considers sharing a Netflix password with someone outside the household to be against copyright. Until now, Netflix has condoned password sharing.

The Intellectual Property Office has stated on its website that sharing a Netflix password is against copyright and therefore illegal. The rule about Netflix has now disappeared from the government website, but… confirmed the IPO to the BBC that sharing a Netflix password is against the law.

The IPO states that it is a criminal offense under criminal and civil law to watch Netflix content through someone else’s account. “There are laws in both criminal and civil law that apply in a case where a password is shared with the intention of allowing a user to access copyrighted works without paying for it.”

It is up to Netflix to go to court if users share their passwords with people outside the household, according to the IPO. The question is whether Netflix wants to do that, as it could lose subscribers to competitors such as Disney+ and Amazon Prime.

Netflix announced earlier this year that it wanted to put an end to account sharing. The growth in the number of Netflix subscribers is stagnating and the company therefore wants to encourage users to share a password with people outside the household. The most important step Netflix has taken so far is announcing a cheaper subscription that shows commercials.

Netflix also comes with a function to export a profile to another account. In this way, the company wants to make it easier for users to take out their own subscription. The company has yet to terminate any accounts due to password sharing.