Legal Question in Intellectual Property in Illinois

Is it legal (in the USA) to circumvent geographic content restrictions on the internet using a proxy/VPN?

Example: A streaming video costs $10 in the USA but $5 in the UK based on my external IP address; I use a VPN to make the online store think I'm connecting from the UK in order to pay the lower price. Is this legal?


Asked on 6/10/13, 5:42 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Bruce Burdick Burdick Law Firm

It is up to the video streaming service to charge the right amount. For you, it is sufficient if you are a subscriber and getting access through an authorized online store. The circumvention you are doing gives the video streaming service a claim against you [for $5 it appears] and would allow them to cut you off at any time for fraud, but has nothing to do with the copyright owner, who has a per play deal usually with the service. So it is not legal, but it's not copyright infringement - making it rather low risk.

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Answered on 7/13/13, 2:23 pm


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