Is Using A Plex Server Legal? It All Depends

A media server is a wonderful tool for streaming your personal media collection on the go, and Plex is one of the most useful movie and TV apps for those who still prefer to own their digital media. Its software makes it simple to catalog and store your media, then stream it from your computer wherever you are. With native apps for mobile and desktop platforms, as well as smart TVs, game consoles, and more, setting up a Plex server is a lot like creating a bespoke streaming service just for you. However, since most of the media you own is likely copyrighted, making the wrong move with a Plex server can be a legal minefield.

To be clear, Plex itself is entirely legal, and the functionality it enables is legally neutral. Assuming you have legal ownership or rights to the media you host, and that you aren't providing access to someone who doesn't, you're in the clear. However, copyright law is complex and can vary between locales, so consult your local laws before assuming something is allowed. Additionally, Plex also offers streaming and on-demand content, much like Netflix; this article is focused solely on its personal media hosting functions.

So, what can you use a Plex server for without running afoul of the law? In general, media you have purchased and downloaded legally can be stored on a private media server for personal access. Beyond that, things can get confusing and legally dubious. Here's what you need to know about using Plex legally.

The most blatant misuse of Plex is for piracy. It's become common for black market entrepreneurs to fill a Plex (or the open-source alternative, Kodi) server with pirated movies, TV, or music. The login information for the server is then sold for a fee to people willing to flout the law for a cheaper Netflix alternative, even though Plex will ban accounts it suspects are being used in that manner. 

You probably didn't need this article to know that buying access to one of those servers is illegal, as is building one. It's also dangerous, since people willing to break the law might not have qualms about loading their Plex servers with malware or malicious code. On the other hand, buying a song from an independent artist on Bandcamp with a Creative Commons license and streaming it on your personal devices would be entirely legal.

But what about ripping media and uploading it to your Plex server? What about an episode of TV you recorded on TiVo? How about sharing media you legally own with your family, roommates, or friends? In general, the legality of your actions will hinge on whether you're bypassing any copyright restrictions. For instance, many Blu-Ray discs include Digital Rights Management (DRM) protections that make it difficult to rip them. If you find yourself using specialized software to bypass those restrictions, you're probably in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Of course, that means you're breaking the law before the ripped file even makes it onto a Plex server.

The laws that apply to the proper or improper use of Plex and personal servers are controversial and continue to be debated. For instance, book publishers including Hachette, HarperCollins, and Penguin Random House filed suit against the Internet Archive in 2020 over a digital book lending program that allowed users to access scanned books for a limited period of time. A district court ruled against the Internet Archive in March 2023. The group reportedly came to closed-door terms with the publishers and also filed an appeal, which was rejected. The future of copyright law could also be affected by the numerous lawsuits currently in motion by media rightsholders against AI companies that used protected works to train their models.

With all that said, storing media on a Plex server for personal use is unlikely to land you in hot water with the law. However, that's not a promise, nor is it encouragement of illegal activity; you make your own choices, and corporate rightsholders and courts have made examples of people in the past. 

In 2021, two Danes were reportedly sentenced to probation for illegally downloading and sharing thousands of movies, TV episodes, and audiobooks, with one of them allegedly using Plex to share his pirated entertainment with 21 people. In 2024, a federal jury convicted five men of operating an illegal streaming service containing hundreds of thousands of TV episodes. However, these cases involve widespread and brazen criminal activity, and we couldn't find examples of copyright convictions in the United States involving the personal use of a Plex server with no commercial element.