At a time when streaming was not so popular, piracy through illegal sites for content reproduction – and even torrenting – dominated the means to watch a TV series or movie.
As a result, Internet users created veritable collections of illegal content. With the popularization of legal options, the convenience of simply choosing what to watch and playing has attracted a lot of attention.
However, this did not make piracy cease to exist – it was quite the opposite. Now, software has turned to the task of creating tools to extract content from these streaming platforms.
This is the case with software called StreamFab, which promises to remove DRM – copy protection – from files from the main streaming services today. The point is that the software, despite presenting a practice that, in theory, is illegal, is available on the Microsoft Store.
There’s a free trial format and a lifetime license option that costs $259.99. Although it is a high value to invest in a program that can fall at any moment, the software draws attention precisely because of its proposal.
Image: dimitrisvetsikas1969/Pixabay
However, this comes up against a very controversial issue. As an example, we can mention the video game industry. Depending on the company that owns the rights, if the user has an original copy of the game, it is possible that they can make a backup backup in case something happens to the media.
Again, this depends on the company’s intellectual property policies, not a rule. Therefore, many wonder if this question also applies in the case of streaming and who pays for them.
What do the streams say?
Photo: Tumisu/Pixabay
Taking a quick look at the terms of use of various platforms – such as Netflix and Disney+ – there is a consensus that the use of tools like StreamFab to make copies is expressly prohibited.
In the case of Netflix, the platform’s terms say that users “agree not to archive, reproduce, distribute, modify, display, perform, publish, license, create derivative works, offer for sale or use” the content on the service.
Disney+ is similar and has users agree that they will not “circumvent or disable any content protection system or digital rights management technology”.
Therefore, if a service does not offer users the option to download and store copies of programs without the standard DRM, any such interaction is illegal.
Using StreamFab
But in addition to the legal measures that streaming platforms can take, users who venture to use StreamFab may suffer some other consequences.
That’s because the software, which is a release from the same creators of DVDFab – software used to copy DVD and Blu-Ray discs -, has a very worrying usage clause – this for those who want to use the program to distribute content.
StreamFab can trace the origin of files extracted from streaming platforms back to the user. This means that the sharing of videos is expressly prohibited by the program itself.
Image: Tumisu/Pixabay
“Please understand that whoever wants the same benefits, whoever wants the same episodes as you, whether it’s a friend, co-worker, or someone else from the internet, everyone should get their own streaming accounts and program license.” service website.
“That’s why we’ve gone a step further to help anyone willing to share content online think better of it before doing so. We include the customer/account ID in the metadata of files pulled from streaming platforms. For most people who understand that the platform is for personal use, this information is unimportant, as the files never leave their personal storage.
However, there is no way of knowing what the implications are of finding that content was shared with more people.
Via: TorrentFreak
