The British government has warned that sharing passwords for online streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime video is against the law on Tuesday, BBC news reported.
According to the Intellectual property Office (IPO), the password-sharing practice breaks copyright laws.
In the United Kingdom sharing passwords of different streaming services among friends and family members is a very common practice. But according to the new statement by the agency "The practice is typically against the terms of user agreements."
IPO guidelines said that "There are a range of provisions in criminal and civil law which may be applicable in the case of password sharing where the intent is to allow a user to access copyright-protected works without payment."
"Where these provisions are provided in civil law, it would be up to the service provider to take action through the courts if required."
Although the streaming giant, Netflix has never indicated it would take any legal action against password-sharing practices.