If you live in the state of Tennessee and you share you Netflix log-in, come July 1st, you could go to jail.
A new law passed by the state legislature and signed by Governor Bill Haslam makes it make it a crime to use a friend’s login — even with permission — to listen to songs or watch movies from services such as Netflix and Rhapsody.
The bill was pushed by recording industry officials to try to stop the loss of billions of dollars to illegal music sharing. They hope other states will follow.
The legislation was aimed at hackers and thieves who sell passwords in bulk, but its sponsors acknowledge it could be employed against people who use a friend’s or relative’s subscription.
While those who share their subscriptions with a spouse or other family members under the same roof almost certainly have nothing to fear, blatant offenders — say, college students who give their logins to everyone on their dormitory floor — could get in trouble.
“What becomes not legal is if you send your username and password to all your friends so they can get free subscriptions,” said the bill’s House sponsor, Rep. Gerald McCormick.
Under the measure, download services that believe they are getting ripped off can go to law enforcement authorities and press charges.
The bill expands an existing law used to prosecute people who steal cable television or leave restaurants without paying for their meals. It adds “entertainment subscription service” to the list of services protected by the law.
Tennessee would become the first state to update its theft-of-cable laws for the 21st century and address the new trend toward Internet delivery of entertainment, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
“I think it’s stupid,” college student Josh Merbitz said of the law. The 20-year-old music education major at Middle Tennessee State University said he watches Netflix movies online using the password of his friend’s father, with the father’s permission.
Stealing $500 or less of entertainment would be a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of $2,500. Theft with a higher price tag would be a felony, with heavier penalties.
First you can’t say “gay” in schools and now you can’t share logins. Is Tennessee trying to make Mississippi look good?
I see no reason not to share my login. Hell it wont do anyone any good. Half the time you can’t stream anyway, and when you do there are long periods where you sit there watching the little progress bar catch up. Worry about fixing your fracking service before you worrying about if someone is shaing a log in. I say screw you netflicks, if you had a decent product you would not be losing money.
This really shouldn’t come as a surprise, but I’m amazed that the law hasn’t been challenged yet.
Can you challenge something that is not yet a law?
I also wonder if lending your i-Anything (which can have Netflix and other entertainment apps on it) to friends or family (for a trip, for example) would run afoul of the law.
Seems like a law is a little extreme. Netflix could just limit to only one active streaming from a given account. For that matter, is it illegal to loan rental disks to someone who does not have a subscription?
Interesting times ahead . . .
The law was just passed and signed. It won’t start being enforced until July 1. You can’t challenge it until it’s in effect.
Its the same as having multiple people watch the same movie from blockbuster before returning it… is that illegal too?
Uh oh! I was going to get a PPV movie and invite some friends over to watch it. I guess I need to rethink that strategy. Perhaps I should just rent it once for each guest? Should I collect money and send it to DirecTV with a note “Dear DTV, I rented a movie but 6 people watched it. I wanted to make sure you got the right amount”.
It isn’t so much that the law is bad. People really should share their NetFlix, Hulu or whatever accounts with people outside their household. If a friend of yours uses NetFlix that much they really should pay.
The problem is that the law is so vague that it actually makes things that are allowed under Netflix policy illegal. And sure, they say they won’t go after people living under the same roof but since the law doesn’t preclude such action it could happen.
The people writing these laws are a bunch of old guys who don’t know diddly sh!t about technology. A bill gets plunked down in front of them, the RIAA/MPAA buys them dinner or sends them a hooker (or both) and voila! It’s a law.
I assume you meant to say “People really should NOT share their NetFlix, Hulu or whatever accounts with people outside their household.”
So using that logic, you can’t loan physical media out to your friends either. This could also outlaw libraries which freely loan movies and music out to almost anyone. But then, this is Tennessee so outlawing libraries isn’t that much of a surprise.
I share electricity with family & friends when they come over. When will that be illegal? If I pay for the service, I should be able to do as I please as once my payment is received, the service is then “mine”. Can I no longer loan my sister a shirt, or a purse? Geez…