We can still recall when TV was only available through an antenna and only a few broadcast stations that you could watch. We. Are. So. Old.
Cable TV was born, offering hundreds of channels, on-demand video viewing, and digital recording capabilities. We are now witnessing the continued growth and consumer use streaming video services like Netflix, Prime Video and Hulu as well as Disney+, Peacock and Paramount.
The adoption and development of streaming services happened simultaneously with or because of the adoption of internet mobile devices. All of us want to be able watch streaming content on any device, including smart phones, tablets and computers. This convenience is a major selling point for streaming services.
These streaming services can be accessed through a subscription, as mentioned above. Subscribers have access to the content via a password-protected portal. For example, Disney+ subscribers can view Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever wherever and whenever they like, on any device screen, and can also jump back and forth between devices while they are watching it. This is why streaming services are so popular. Everybody – even your grandmother.
Your grandma, and possibly the rest of your family, may have a Netflix account. This account has user profiles that allow you to access other family members (including you), who reside in different households. Netflix’s CEO Reed Hastings stated that “we love people sharing Netflix” in 2016, when Netflix was still on the rise. It’s a positive thing and not a bad thing. In 2017, Netflix tweeted, “Love is sharing passwords.”
This is the future. The streaming services market has seen a lot more competition for consumers’ eyes and dollars. Netflix recently suggested that it would soon crack down password sharing, except for those who are residing in the same household. Netflix, like all streaming services, tracks IP addresses and device IDs to determine what you’re watching, where it is, and when it was. Every streaming service can determine if you are being nice or naughty when it comes password sharing and will, no doubt, share that valuable information with Santa. There has been much written about Netflix’s new attitude towards password sharing. This is something that other streaming services are also paying attention to.
This is all about our access and use of creative content. Copyright is the primary protection for intellectual property. You agree to the Terms of Use when you create a streaming account. This click-through agreement is generally described as a copyright licence that grants you restricted access to the service’s creative content.
Netflix’s Terms of Use limit access to Netflix to your personal and noncommercial use. This is not allowed to be shared with anyone outside of your household. To watch Netflix, people who are not part of your household must sign up for their own accounts. Your subscription agreement will prohibit you from sharing passwords. Some people consider this disallowed password sharing to be copyright infringement. Do you remember Napster? Remember Napster?
It is already Spring 2023 when streaming services access is available, but we fear that Winter is coming.
Share Your Password! was originally published by Attorney at Law Magazine.