In the US copyright law mainly controlled by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) centers intensely on the sharing of protected material While hosting or providing pirated content is a distinct breach the action of simply viewing content without getting a lasting copy by individual users exists in a more complex legal realm

Web providers frequently issue alerts for found activity on known unapproved viewing sites While direct prosecution of individual viewers is uncommon repeat offenders may face service cutoff or end

The European Union has taken a stricter position following a 2017 judgment by the European Court of Justice (CJEU) This judgment clearly says that deliberately viewing protected content from an unapproved source is copyright infringement This is true even if no lasting copy is made by the user

Implementation differs greatly among EU member nations with some countries being more forward-thinking in going after individual users than others The focus is on the user's understanding that the source is unlawful