IPTV or Internet Protocol Television, is a video streaming technology that enables viewers to watch a wide variety of TV shows and movies using the internet. However, very often a question arises among users – ‘Is it safe to use IPTV service‘?
This article focuses on answering about the legal status of the service, to help you better understand about the IPTV services and its safety options.
IPTV: Is It Legal Or Illegal?
Several IPTV services are available across the globe, however it is important to know if the service you are using is legal or not. Moving ahead, we will discuss when IPTV is legal and when it is not.
When can IPTV be considered an illegal streaming option?
An IPTV is considered illegal when the service provider does not have the required permissions to telecast the showing programs or TV shows. They do not have the license or permission from the copyright holder. Below are the list of facts to identify an illegal IPTV service provider.
- Do not have permission or license to show TV content
- Suggest viewers to use VPN to access their service
- The services are based in a foreign country
- Do not show their partners or sources of content
- Offer channels that are not licensed in your country
When can IPTV be considered a legal streaming option?
IPTV is legal when the service provider has necessary permissions to deliver TV shows and movies to audiences. Also, the provider must adhere to copyright infringement regulations to avoid broadcast violations.To find if an IPTV provider is trustworthy or not, you need to check their service meets the following criteria:
- List the content source and partners
- Own a dedicated streaming app
- Monetize their service on a subscription basis
- Shows minimum advertisements in between the shows
IPTV: Laws & Regulations Around The Globe
IPTV Laws In The United States
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) passed in 1998, enforces penalties and fines to providers without appropriate license. However, the only loophole in this law is that it is applicable only for downloads and not for streaming. Post this, an extensive COVID relief bill was passed in December 2020, that enforces 10 years of jail sentence to the operators, rather than individuals who use them.
IPTV Laws In The United Kingdom
The UK’s Digital Economy Act of 2017 was introduced to impose copyright infringements along with a prison sentence of about 10 years. These prosecutions mainly focus on the service operators, while the police issue warnings to suspected illegal IPTV users.
IPTV Laws In The United Kingdom
In 1998, The Digital Millennium Copyright Act was passed to impose penalties to operators & providers who did not own a suitable license to broadcast/ stream the shows. But this law restricts only downloading the shows and does not impact streaming.
Understanding The Significance Of IPTV Legality
Whether you are a creator, owner or a viewer, it is important to ensure that you provide/use a legal IPTV. Because, streaming copyrighted content may lead to huge fines and lawful punishments. Several users have been charged for the streaming, without any service provided. With subscriber’s financial threat stays on one side, complaints have also risen for security risks like theft of personal and financial information via virus or malware attacks.
Moving next, we will quickly brief you on how to identify legal IPTV providers and illegal IPTV providers.
List Of Illegal IPTV Providers
With the rising number of IPTV services, it is quite daunting to identify whether the provider is licensed and legal. Below is a list of IPTV services that are unverified
- BingeTV
- FlicksTV
- YeahIPTV
- 247 Stream
- IconicStreams
- Kemo IPTV
List Of Legal IPTV Providers
In recent years, several IPTV businesses have established themselves as trustworthy and reliable providers in the market. A few of them are:
- Disney+
- iMPlayer
- YouTube TV
- XCIPTV
- DirecTV Now
- Netflix
- XUMO
- Fubo TV
- Hulu with Live TV
- Pluto TV
- Amazon Prime Video
- AT&T TV Now
- Apple TV+
- Plex Live TV
- Smart IPTV
How to Start a Legal IPTV Business?
If you are planning to launch your own IPTV business, you’ll need to thoroughly ensure the following, to avoid legal consequences:
1. You need to obtain licenses for each content you deliver
2. Keep your service safe from security threats like malware attacks
3. Implement registered/ traceable payment methods
While these implications make the process quite daunting, there is a positively better alternative to take your content to a broader audience: OTT Streaming!
OTT streaming goes hand in hand with the technology and legal compliances of IPTV. However, it is cheaper and easier to maintain when compared to an IPTV service. One of the wisest options to build an OTT app is to make use of white-label solutions that help you multiply the user base at a fraction of the cost of IPTV.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, it is very clear that it is safe to stream or use IPTV content that are copyrighted and are licensed, to avoid legal complications and risks. Although it is hard to identify legal providers, users must make sure to verify the legality of the service they use. On the other hand, providers must adhere to the licensing requirements to nurture and scale the user base.
Like to know more about IPTV legality? Comment your questions below and we will get back with the solutions!
