When it comes to IPTV, a common question that arises in everyone’s mind is whether IPTV is legal or not. It is because of the unlimited entertainment content they cover from all across the world with cheaper pricing plans. Hence, there are some possibilities for IPTV services to contain some copyrighted content. However, to keep a full stop for this question, you can directly dive into our detailed article on the legality of IPTV services.
IPTV – An Overview and How Does it Work
Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) is an online TV streaming service delivered through the Internet. IPTVs provide thousands of live TV channels and videos on demand from all around the world. This service doesn’t require any cable or any traditional terrestrial. Unlike cable TVs, IPTV services are portable and compatible with almost all streaming devices. To stream IPTV, you just need to have a stable internet connection on your device.
For more information, read our dedicated guide on What is IPTV?
Is IPTV Legal to Use?
The correct answer to this question is Yes and No. Both registered and unregistered IPTV services are available on the market. If the IPTV service you select has the proper license for the content it delivers, then it is a legal service.
Mostly, the unregistered IPTVs provide content without getting an appropriate license from the actual content holder. Streaming content from such providers only causes legal troubles for both streamers and providers. Hence, it is up to you to select the legal IPTV services for safe streaming.
Laws Against Illegal IPTV in Different Countries
IPTV services are restricted and banned in some countries. Breaching this law can lead you to face many problems. Here are some of the different laws passed in the USA, UK, and Canada.
United States
The reauthorized distribution of copyrighted content and usage of unregistered IPTV services is prohibited in the USA under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) passed in 1998. Therefore, the USA Department of Justice and other law enforcement agencies will take action if you are caught providing or using illegal IPTV services.
An extensive COVID relief bill was passed in December 2020 to make illegal streaming services a crime. Under this law, illegal streamers and providers can be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
United Kingdom
In 1998, the Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act was passed in the United Kingdom against the prohibition and unauthorized distribution of copyrighted content and illegal IPTV services. The UK’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and law enforcement agencies work to prevent the usage of illegal content.
Also, in 2017 Digital Economy was passed into the UK with 10 years of sentence for those who were caught into copyright infringement issues.
Canada
In 2015, copyright holders were given the authority to issue warning notices for suspected streamers and illegal IPTV services. If anyone is found guilty of warnings offered, they need to make the cash settlement to avoid prosecution.
Since the warning didn’t work and made most Canadians pay fines even if they were meant to, the demand settlement fees were changed in the year 2019. Hence, the illegal streamers need to leave themselves options to prosecution and higher fines.
Things to Identify Illegal IPTV Services
- If an IPTV service delivers content for free, then there are a lot of chances for it to be illegal. Because most of the legal IPTV services provide their service only with a standard subscription price.
- The subscription price of illegal services is cheaper compared to legal IPTV services as they don’t need to pay for licensing and production.
- Most illegal IPTV services accept payment only through Cryptocurrency and Bitcoin, which makes it difficult to track them.
- Mostly, legal IPTVs provide only channels and content within a particular region. There are possibilities for illegal IPTV services to provide international channels and location-specific content.
- The next thing to notice is its streaming quality. Since the legal IPTV services get direct access from the actual content holder, they can provide streams with the best picture quality. Whereas legal IPTV services cannot offer videos of such quality.
- The official website of unverified IPTVs contains fake buttons and links that lead to other illegal websites. The website also contains many advertisements.
Why Do You Need to Avoid Illegal IPTV Services
- Using illegal IPTV services will lead you to open prosecution, fines, and even jail sentences in some countries.
- The illegal IPTVs will collect your debit and credit card details and sell them to hackers and scammers, which will put you in trouble.
- Accessing content from illegal websites may affect your devices with malware functions and viruses when you press the fake button and links provided on the website.
- Internet Service Providers are always concerned about the legal streams. If you are caught using illegal IPTVs, then they will disconnect your connection.
Common Questions
What are the best official streaming services for watching live TV channels?
Sling TV, YouTube TV, and Philo IPTV are some of the best official streaming services for watching live TV Channels.
What are the unverified IPTV services?
There are a lot of unverified IPTV services available in the market. Some of the popular unverified IPTV services are Kemo IPTV, Bird IPTV, and Helix IPTV.