Copyright is a big deal. It is frequently used (and abused) for all sorts of things. Malaysia is the latest country to perhaps go a little overboard in its copyright protections. The country has amended its copyright law to include some rather hectic punishments for streaming piracy.

Streaming piracy is exactly what it sounds like. Pirates set up streaming services and broadcast content they don’t have permission to share. Malaysia’s amended laws will see offenders who use both software and hardware to facilitate pirate streaming possibly going to jail.

Malaysian Pirates

And the jail term isn’t a short one. The punishment for streaming piracy is up to 20 years in prison. There’s also a fine involved, which would be levied in lieu of two decades in the tjoekie. The fine is a little short of R40,000, and seems like the preferable alternative to twenty years behind bars. Possible fines max out at around R750,000, which isn’t… ideal.

But it’s also possible that both punishments will be meted out — though they mostly seem reserved for the facilitators of streaming piracy. So those that manufacture or sell illegal streaming hardware or software are in the firing line. And if it’s a company performing those functions, then everyone involved — directors, managers, everyone — becomes liable for prosecution.

Just how this will all work isn’t certain yet. Malaysia has only just passed the law, and nobody’s been put through the wringer yet. But a Netflix sub is less than R200 a month, folks. Illegal streaming might not be worth the cost — which is kinda the point of these heavy-handed punishments.

Source: TorrentFreak