Illegally streaming Thirteen Lives is a violation of the copyright law and exposes viewers to ransomware attacks, the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) warned on Sunday.
Thirteen Lives is an American biographical survival film based on the Tham Luang cave rescue in 2018, which saw a team of 12 young footballers and their coach rescued from the flooded cave complex in Chiang Rai.
In response to the rampant sharing of online streaming links for the movie, DIP director-general Jittima Srithaporn reminded the public that watching the movie through such links amounts to a violation of the Copyright Act.
Anyone caught sharing the link or uploading a movie, whether in part or as a whole, without permission from the copyright owner, may face both civil and criminal charges.
"Anyone who accesses pirated films sites might also encounter malware and ransomware, putting their personal and financial data at risk of cybercrime," Ms Jittima added.
The DIP also warned that recording the movie on a mobile device, even in part, in cinemas counts as a copyright violation.