Is IPTV Legal in Canada? What the Law Actually Says

IPTV Is a Technology, Not a Loophole

IPTV stands for Internet Protocol Television: live channels and on-demand video delivered over an internet connection instead of cable, satellite or an antenna. Bell Fibe TV, Telus Optik TV, Rogers Ignite TV and Vidéotron Helix are all IPTV services, and apps such as Crave, TSN+ and Sportsnet+ stream over the internet too.

Player apps are legal as well. Apps like IPTV Smarters or TiviMate contain no channels; they play whatever service you log in to. The legal question is never about the technology or the app. It is about whether the service behind the login has the right to distribute what it streams.

Is IPTV Illegal in Canada? What the Copyright Act Says

Under the Copyright Act, the owners of TV programs, films and sports broadcasts control who can communicate them to the public by telecommunication, which includes streaming. A service that carries channels with the rights holders' permission, usually through licensing deals, is legal. A service that retransmits channels without permission infringes copyright, however it is packaged or advertised.

Price and channel count aren't legal tests, but licensing is expensive, which is part of why cable packages and the broadcasters' own apps cost what they do.

What Canadian Courts Have Done

Canadian broadcasters, led by Bell, Rogers and Vidéotron, have taken IPTV sellers to court several times:

• 2016: in Bell Canada v. 1326030 Ontario Inc. (2016 FC 612), the Federal Court issued an injunction against retailers of Android boxes pre-loaded to stream unlicensed content. The Federal Court of Appeal upheld it in 2017 (2017 FCA 55).
• 2019: in Bell Media v. GoldTV.Biz (2019 FC 1432), the Federal Court ordered Canada's major internet providers to block an unlicensed IPTV service, the country's first site-blocking order. The Federal Court of Appeal upheld it in 2021 (2021 FCA 100), and in 2022 the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear a further appeal.
• 2022: in Rogers Media v. John Doe 1 (2022 FC 775), the Federal Court granted Canada's first “dynamic” order: internet providers had to block unlicensed live streams of NHL games in real time, following the servers as they changed.

Broadcasters have gone back to court for similar orders since. In practice, this is one reason some IPTV services suddenly stop working: their servers get blocked or shut down.

Can Viewers Get in Trouble?

Enforcement in Canada has focused on the people who sell and run unlicensed services, not on the people watching. Canadian courts have not clearly ruled on whether simply watching a stream, without downloading or sharing it, is itself an infringement.

That doesn't make viewers risk-free:

• Copyright notices: under Canada's notice-and-notice system, a rights holder can send a notice to your internet provider, which must forward it to you. Since December 13, 2018, these notices can't demand payment or personal information.
• Lawsuits: rights holders can sue individuals. For non-commercial infringement, statutory damages range from $100 to $5,000 for all the works in one lawsuit.
• Losing your money: a service that gets blocked or shut down takes your prepaid months with it.
• Scams and malware: “lifetime” offers, fully loaded boxes and apps from unknown sources can steal payment details or install malware.

How to Protect Yourself as a Buyer

1. Ask the seller directly whether they are licensed for the channels. A licensed service can say so plainly and name its partners.
2. Start with a free trial or a single month, never a “lifetime” plan.
3. Pay in a way you control, such as Interac e-Transfer from your own bank, and never give card details to a site you can't reach.
4. Install player apps only from official app stores, and skip boxes sold “fully loaded”.
5. Buy from a seller with a real support address that answers you before you pay.

If You Only Want Licensed Services

If you want to be certain that everything you watch is licensed, stick to your internet or cable provider's TV service and the broadcasters' own apps, such as Crave, TSN+ and Sportsnet+, plus on-demand services like Netflix or Prime Video.

We are not lawyers, and this article is not legal advice. Laws and court orders change; if you need a firm answer for your situation, talk to a lawyer. For copyright questions about our service, see our copyright and DMCA page.

Sources

• Copyright Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. C-42), Justice Laws Website, Government of Canada
• Notices to Canadian Internet subscribers, Office of Consumer Affairs, Government of Canada
• Bell Canada v. 1326030 Ontario Inc., 2016 FC 612 and 2017 FCA 55, CanLII
• Bell Media Inc. v. GoldTV.Biz, 2019 FC 1432 and Teksavvy Solutions Inc. v. Bell Media Inc., 2021 FCA 100, CanLII
• Rogers Media Inc. v. John Doe 1, 2022 FC 775, CanLII