Is Streaming Movies Illegal In Canada

How Canadian law views online streaming video.

Is streaming movies illegal in canada. Its half and half. Yes sometimes customers are watching copyrighted content but they arent downloading that material. At least until the new legislation is passed.

There is nothing illegal with the XBMC software and it has many perfectly legal uses. Whether anyone can or will do anything about it is another matter. Im no lawyer so take what I say with a grain of saltbut so far every article Ive read on the topic says no.

It may be that streaming from some sites outside Canada is not allowed because that content distributor has an agreement with a Canadian distributor. The PLSA law is going after the big fish the services that stream pirated content. Canadian copyright law is well-equipped to stop such unauthorized services if they are located in Canada since the law features provisions that can be used to shut down websites that enable infringement.

Well it is clearly illegal - you dont have the right to the content. Being on the recieving end of a stream ie the downloader isnt explicitly illegal - its when youre uploading such as during torrentingstreaming copywritten works to others that youre doing the illegal part. Platforms like Plex operate in a hazy zone with legal software that bad actors can use to share a pirated video.

So in conclusion theres really no point stating what the current Canada law against piracy is. The argument is that streaming something as opposed to downloading it means you dont own the rights to it. For instance HBO is available in Canada through Crave.

In a similar manner people have jailbroken Amazon Fire sticks to watch illegal. This infraction exists in Canada since the first half of the XIX century but there have been apparent adaptations to the rules to incorporate newer multimedia elements such as videos audio and music. Where it becomes a crime is if you download the movie or show or host a stream yourself.