Governor Bill Haslam has signed into law legislation which broadens Tennessee’s criminal law to include the sharing of subscription based entertainment services, such as Netflix. The bill was pushed primarily to curb music piracy however is broad enough to include all subscription based entertainment services.
Theft of Services in Tennessee is defined as follows:
(1) Intentionally obtains services by any means to avoid payment for the services;
(2) Having control over the disposition of services to others, knowingly diverts those services to the person’s own benefit or to the benefit of another not entitled to such benefits; or
(3) Knowingly absconds from establishments where compensation for services is ordinarily paid immediately upon the rendering of them, including hotels, motels and restaurants, without payment or a bona fide offer to pay.
The term ‘services’ has been re-defined to include subscription based entertainment services and a summary of the new criminal law can be found here. The potential punishment for theft of services in Tennessee depends entirely on the dollar amount of the services.
The class of crime for Theft of property or services is broken down as follows:
– $500 or less is a Class A misdemeanor;
– More than $500 but less than $1,000 is a Class E felony;
– More than $1,000 but less than $10,000 is a Class D felony;
– More than $10,000 but less than $60,000 is a Class C felony; and
– More than $60,000 is a Class B felony
If you have been charged with any theft crime in the Nashville area, contact our Nashville theft defense attorneys today to discuss your case.
