Within the US copyright law mainly overseen by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act DMCA concentrates intensely on spreading secured content Though offering or allowing access to copied items is a straightforward breach the action of simply viewing watching content without saving an enduring copy by individual users exists in a more complex legal area

Web providers often send alerts for noticed movement on recognized unapproved broadcast sites While immediate prosecution of specific viewers is uncommon repeat offenders may experience service stoppage or ending

The European Union has embraced a firmer position after a 2017 judgment by the European Court of Justice CJEU This judgment explicitly states that deliberately viewing secured content from an unapproved origin forms copyright violation This is true even if no lasting duplicate is created by the user

Implementation differs significantly among EU member nations with some countries being more assertive in chasing specific users than others The focus is on the user's understanding that the origin is unlawful