Sharing Netflix password is illegal according to British government organization

The British Intellectual Property Office considers sharing a Netflix password with someone outside the household to be a copyright infringement. So far, Netflix has turned a blind eye to sharing a password.

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

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

It is up to Netflix to take legal action 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 wants to end account sharing. The growth in the number of Netflix subscribers is stagnating and the company therefore wants to address users about sharing a password with people outside the household. The most important step Netflix has taken so far is announcing a cheaper plan 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 so far not terminated accounts due to password sharing.