Is IPTV Safe and Legal?

As technology advances, people are no longer reliant on traditional cable or satellite TV for live television viewing. IPTV services have emerged as one of the alternative ways to watch TV, offering convenience and affordability.

But What is IPTV? Is IPTV legal? Is it safe to use? How can you use it to watch TV and movies? In this article, we will answer these questions and more.

What is IPTV?

IPTV stands for Internet Protocol Television. It refers to the delivery of television content over the internet using Internet Protocol (IP) networks. With IPTV, television programming is delivered to viewers through internet connections rather than traditional terrestrial, satellite, or cable television formats.

IPTV allows users to stream live TV channels, on-demand content, and other multimedia services directly to their devices, such as smart TVs, computers, smartphones, or set-top boxes. The content is transmitted as packets of data over IP networks, and viewers can access and watch it in real-time or choose from a selection of on-demand programs.

Is IPTV legal?

You might think the answer to this question is obvious.

If Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube are legal, why wouldn’t IPTV be?

The legality of IPTV depends on the specific service. As long as the service provider holds proper licenses for all the content they offer, IPTV is legal. In other words, IPTV providers need permission from the copyright owners to host streams of copyrighted TV shows, movies, or other content.

Services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are completely legal. They hold the proper licenses for the content they provide for streaming. However, there are hundreds of other IPTV providers that illegally obtain TV shows and movies without obtaining proper permission from the content owners. These IPTV providers are in violation of the law. If you use their services, you are also breaking the law.

How to determine if an IPTV service is legal

One common sign of an illegal service that violates IPTV laws is not charging subscription fees. Many illegal services are offered for free or with one-time purchases.

This is a common indicator that the platform in question is not compliant with DMCA laws. If you use services like Netflix or Hulu, you know that they charge a monthly fee.

This doesn’t mean that every free platform is automatically illegal, but it is the first sign to look out for.

Additionally, different countries have their own laws regarding IPTV, so the legal consequences of hosting or using one of these illegal services will depend on the jurisdiction where you reside.

The law on illegal IPTV in the UK

In 2017, the UK introduced the Digital Economy Act, which imposes stricter penalties on anyone convicted of copyright infringement. Illegal IPTV users and service providers may face a maximum of 10 years imprisonment as a result.

Although no one has been prosecuted for using illegal IPTV (the legislation is primarily targeted at those operating such services), the police have issued mass warnings to suspected illegal IPTV users in certain cases, threatening legal action if they continue using these services.

The law on illegal IPTV in the USA

The two most significant laws affecting IPTV providers in the USA are the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998 and the Protecting Lawful Streaming Act of 2020.

The DMCA is the oldest law enacted to regulate internet copyright. Under this law, content providers on the internet must acquire proper licenses to obtain streaming permissions. This also applies to IPTV providers.

Anyone found in violation of the DMCA can face substantial penalties, typically in the form of monetary damages. However, enforcing this law has been (and still is) extremely challenging. There is a lack of effective large-scale implementation to achieve this goal. That’s why there have been few punishments under this law and why there are still many illegal IPTV providers.

With the introduction of the Protecting Lawful Streaming Act in 2020, the prosecution rate has significantly increased. This latest law grants the US Department of Justice greater freedom to impose penalties on any wrongdoers in the industry.

The law on illegal IPTV in Canada

In Canada, the law governing internet copyright is known as the Copyright Act, which is similar to the USA’s Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

In 2015, Canada implemented a system that allows copyright owners to distribute warning notices to suspected illegal IPTV users through their internet service providers (ISPs). Until recently, many of these warnings also included demands for cash settlements to avoid prosecution and hefty fines.

However, in 2019, widespread criticism arose as the recipients of these warnings were not obligated to pay the settlement amounts, resulting in many Canadians paying unnecessary fines. Consequently, changes were made to the laws regarding these notices. There have also been cases where individuals falsely accused of illegal streaming were coerced into paying fines.

The changes in 2019 meant that copyright owners could no longer request settlement payments in these notices or seek personal information. While the copyright owners’ warnings may no longer demand cash settlements, users of illegal IPTV may still face legal action and potentially higher fines.

Why you should avoid illegal IPTV services

As mentioned earlier, while the bulk of legal consequences falls on the providers of copyrighted streaming content, viewers can also face penalties. While this situation is rare, there are several reasons to avoid illegal IPTV services apart from the legal repercussions.

• You may be scammed: There’s nothing stopping fraudulent providers from accepting your subscription payment and disappearing. Since these providers operate illegally, you have no legal recourse to protect yourself from being defrauded.
• Viruses and malware are rampant: Many illegal IPTV websites are riddled with malicious software. In today’s world, where our personal computers store most of our private data, it’s not worth the risk of having your data stolen.
• Poor user experience: These illegal IPTV streaming websites often provide a subpar user experience. Whether it’s due to an abundance of invasive ads or poor player loading times, your viewing experience will be far from smooth.
• Your ISP may throttle or disable your internet: Users found to frequently engage in piracy may face consequences from internet service providers (ISPs) in certain countries/regions. ISPs may decide to throttle their service or disable it entirely. As you can see, there are many potential consequences to using illegal IPTV services beyond being sued. We don’t know your specific situation, but we believe that taking such risks is not worth it.

Examples of unverified IPTV

Given the vast number of IPTV services, it’s challenging to track and verify which services have proper licenses for the content they offer. However, some examples of unverified IPTV include:

• 247 Stream
• Kemo IPTV
• IPTV Trends
• Xtreme HD IPTV
• BingeTV
• IconicStreams
• YeahIPTV
• FlicksTV

In addition to the websites I just listed, another prominent player in the realm of illegal streaming is Kodi. Kodi itself is entirely legal. It is an open-source media player that allows the installation of various plugins for personalized user experiences. However, some illegal streaming utilizes Kodi as the foundation for Kodi boxes, which are plugged into TVs and provide free access to IPTV subscription services like Netflix. These Kodi boxes are illegal and may result in law enforcement seizing the devices and leading to prosecution for the device users.

Verified legal IPTV service providers

To assist you in your research, we will recommend some reliable providers of IPTV services. You can rest assured that the following IPTV services have been verified and are completely legal:

• YouTube TV
• Sling TV
• FuboTV
• Hulu
• Pluto TV
• Plex Live TV
• AT&T TV
• Netflix
• Amazon Prime Video
• Disney+
• HBO Max
• Apple TV+

Additionally, a simple way to determine if an IPTV service is verified and legal is to check if they have applications available on Google, Amazon, or Apple app stores. These tech giants thoroughly review all applications and providers before allowing them into their stores. Therefore, you can trust that all checked services are risk-free.

FAQ

Final Thoughts

When it comes to the legality of IPTV services, whether you prefer live streaming or video-on-demand entertainment, it’s essential to understand the legality of the service you are using. There are hundreds of IPTV services available in the market, but not all of them are reliable. Do not be lured by the promises of cheap or free content. Many websites that make such promises are illegal and unlicensed. Using them puts you at risk of legal action and jeopardizes the security of your personal information and devices.

If you decide to use one of these unverified IPTV sites, you do so at your own risk. For peace of mind and added security, if you choose this route, consider using a VPN.

However, the best option is to stick to legal and reputable IPTV services. Legitimate IPTV subscriptions may be more expensive than using illegal websites, but they offer a fair price for enjoying high-quality on-demand streaming services without having to worry about getting yourself in legal trouble, getting hacked, or getting malware on your device.