AZMovies is an online motion picture streaming website featuring an extensive catalog. Almost every movie is there for you to see. This is a website built with true movie fans in mind. It boasts more than 70 genres, from Action, Horror, and War-based, to anything you’ve ever heard about or imagined.
One of the best things about AZMovies is that it’s alive! The updates keep coming daily, so new releases are available all the time. Also, if the site’s curators are missing something, you can file a request yourself, so the movie you had in mind becomes available online.
AZMovies (commonly thought to mean A to Z movies) is a website for serious cinema enthusiasts who do not care to miss even a single title. The site grants its users full access to its massive A to Z list of movies that no fan can possibly ignore.
In this article, we’ll tell you all you need to know about AZMovies. Is it legal? How can you use it safely? Are there any legal alternatives to this website? Keep reading; we will provide you with answers to those questions and many more!
AZMovies: A general panorama
Video streaming is all the rage these days. This segment of digital activities was already increasing rapidly before 2020. But then the Covid-19 pandemic turned the world upside down, created an unprecedented demand for home entertainment, and every video streaming platform on the Internet exploded. Some more than others, depending on what they offer to the public — and AZMovies offers basically everything.
AZMovies’ claim to fame is two-pronged: the title catalog it offers is massive, and it’s 100% free of charge. So the website has gathered a large user base of movie enthusiasts who like that they can find every movie they ever wanted to see in a single place without paying any fees.
All these free benefits, of course, can make people a bit suspicious and raise some questions about the site. Is the site legal? Is it safe to watch the site’s content? If it’s not that safe to use it, is there any way to minimize the risks? Are there any alternatives that can offer a similar experience without the risks or in a fully legal way?
The answers to those questions will vary with your location, for the most part — although one solution will be universal: use a VPN to watch this site, ExpressVPN, preferentially. But we get ahead of ourselves — more on that later, though.
Let’s tackle each issue individually.
Is it legal to use AZMovies?
The answer depends on the jurisdiction you inhabit. We’ve seen no proof that AZMovies has paid for the worldwide distribution rights of any content it offers on its website. Hence, it follows that all of the site’s content is pirated by any meaningful definition of the word. But that in itself doesn’t make it illegal.
You see, piracy isn’t illegal in every country. And even in many countries where it’s outlawed, it’s not actively prosecuted by the government.
Consider the countries of the world by their stance on piracy. There are three possibilities:
- Piracy is legal or allowed as long as it’s limited to personal use, and you do not profit from distributing copyrighted material.
- Piracy is illegal, and it’s actively prosecuted and punished whenever the government catches the offenders red-handed.
- Piracy is illegal, but individuals rarely run into legal problems because of this type of activity because the government has much more urgent issues requiring its attention and resources.
It would behoove you to know what is your government’s stance on piracy, of course, but we can give you some orientation. Switzerland, Spain, and Poland have the most advanced legislation regarding copyright. Therefore, you can enjoy using any copyrighted material, even without paying for it, if you keep it strictly for your personal use and do not attempt to monetize it.
Then there are the countries that proscribe the use or possession of any copyrighted material you haven’t paid for. They will punish you actively as soon as they have the chance. The United States and China are the most well-known jurisdictions in this group, but they’re far from alone. South Africa, Russia, Portugal, Latvia, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Finland, and Australia are also on this list.
Naturally, you don’t want to get caught breaking the copyright laws in any of these countries because you will have to face a punishment that can go from a fine to a time in jail, depending on the country in question. But is it very likely for you to get caught? As a general rule, no, but you shouldn’t take any unnecessary risks. Caution will go a long way, and there are good ways for you to enjoy any website you want without risking your rights or freedom.
The third group of countries includes those that pay homage to the principle of copyright and intellectual property but do little or nothing to enforce it. This list comprises Uruguay, Slovenia, Slovakia, Singapore, Romania, Philippines, Netherlands, Mexico, Iran, Israel, India, Greece, Egypt, Denmark, Czech Republic, Colombia, Canada, Argentina, and Brazil.
The previous paragraphs should give you a good idea about where you stand on the issue of AZMovies’ legality according to your country. As you can see from the three lists, using this website is illegal in most countries. But that doesn’t mean it can get you in trouble unless you live in one of the jurisdictions that have adopted the more rigid stances against piracy.