http://m.derbytelegraph.co.uk/popul...ng-crackdown/story-30385047-detail/story.html
Popular Kodi add-ons shut
down as part of illegal streaming crackdown
By cherylhague | Posted: June 18, 2017
By Sophie Curtis
Comments (1)
An ongoing crackdown on illegal streaming is causing concern among Kodi users.
While the popular streaming service is not illegal, many rights holders have been left concerned by the sales of "fully-loaded" Kodi boxes, which allow users to illegally access live sport and movies.
But more and more add-ons for the service are shutting down amid an ongoing clampdown and Phoenix, one of the most popular add-ons, has closed down this week.
It comes after several Kodi add-ons based in Israel closed operations following pressure from a local group called ZIRA. The motive for the closure of Phoenix has not been revealed, according to The Mirror. But developers have hinted that it was because of the legal issues surrounding Kodi.
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"In light of current events we have decided to close down Phoenix," said Phoenix developer Cosmix, TorrentFreak reports.
"This is not something that was easy for us to do; we have all formed a bond that cannot be broken as a team and have a HUGE support base that we are thankful of. I can speak for myself when I say thank you to everybody that has ever been involved in Phoenix and it will always be one of my fondest memories."
READ MORE: Kodi box users in Derbyshire now risk TEN YEARS in jail
In recent months, Kodi has become a by-word for internet streaming piracy - even though the software itself doesn't host any media.
Rights holders and service providers like the Premier League and Sky TV are furiously trying to shut down the illegal add-ons that supply Kodi. Much of this legal climate has sprung from a recent EU ruling that streaming pirated video content online does constitute an offence.
There are also vast sums of money involved thanks to the might of corporations like Sky and the Premiere League.
Is Kodi legal now?
It's a big grey area.
The confusion around the legality of the boxes is so great that it could take a court case involving Middlesbrough resident Brian Thompson to help settle it. Mr Thompson is thought to be the first man brought to court to face allegations of selling pre-loaded Kodi or Android boxes. He has denied any wrongdoing.
The boxes themselves are, effectively, legal.
Are there any other similar legal cases?
One has just finished, and resulted in one man receiving a four year jail sentence for conspiracy to defraud.
In what was the first sentencing of its kind, Terry O'Reilly was handed the tough term for selling over 1,000 boxes to pubs.
READ MORE: Amazon takes action to crack down on illegal use of Kodi boxes
The pubs used them to illegally stream Premier League football matches.
Following the result, Premier League Director of Legal Services Kevin Plumb said: "The courts have provided a clear message: this is against the law and selling systems which allow people to watch unauthorised Premier League broadcasts is a form of mass piracy and is sufficiently serious to warrant a custodial sentence.
"There can now be no doubt for consumers that these systems are illegal."
So they are no longer on sale?
They are indeed on sale.
The case involving O'Reilly was for a conspiracy to defraud, a less serious charge than those Mr Thompson is facing. His charges, which his solicitor claimed was under an "unusual piece of legislation", sees him accused of selling boxes "adapted for the purpose of enabling or facilitating the circumvention of effective technological measures".
Oh, and there's a third charge involving "advertising a product to circumvent technological measures". That case focuses specifically on selling pre-loaded boxes. Until that, or another similar case, has gone through the courts it is likely they will still be sold on the high street.
Retail giants like Tesco and Amazon are selling similar devices, although they aren't pre-loaded.
All of this is confusing
Indeed it is.
But to sum up: Kodi in its unaltered form is perfectly legal, but certain add-ons do blur things.
If you're already comfortable with watching streams on websites such as Putlocker, then using Kodi with particular add-ons is no different. If you aren't, it's worth steering clear of many of Kodi's most popular extensions.
Popular Kodi add-ons shut
down as part of illegal streaming crackdown
By cherylhague | Posted: June 18, 2017
By Sophie Curtis
Comments (1)
An ongoing crackdown on illegal streaming is causing concern among Kodi users.
While the popular streaming service is not illegal, many rights holders have been left concerned by the sales of "fully-loaded" Kodi boxes, which allow users to illegally access live sport and movies.
But more and more add-ons for the service are shutting down amid an ongoing clampdown and Phoenix, one of the most popular add-ons, has closed down this week.
It comes after several Kodi add-ons based in Israel closed operations following pressure from a local group called ZIRA. The motive for the closure of Phoenix has not been revealed, according to The Mirror. But developers have hinted that it was because of the legal issues surrounding Kodi.
by Taboola Sponsored Links YOU MAY LIKE
How Many IT Security Blind Spots Did You Miss Today?
Microsoft
"In light of current events we have decided to close down Phoenix," said Phoenix developer Cosmix, TorrentFreak reports.
"This is not something that was easy for us to do; we have all formed a bond that cannot be broken as a team and have a HUGE support base that we are thankful of. I can speak for myself when I say thank you to everybody that has ever been involved in Phoenix and it will always be one of my fondest memories."
READ MORE: Kodi box users in Derbyshire now risk TEN YEARS in jail
In recent months, Kodi has become a by-word for internet streaming piracy - even though the software itself doesn't host any media.
Rights holders and service providers like the Premier League and Sky TV are furiously trying to shut down the illegal add-ons that supply Kodi. Much of this legal climate has sprung from a recent EU ruling that streaming pirated video content online does constitute an offence.
There are also vast sums of money involved thanks to the might of corporations like Sky and the Premiere League.
Is Kodi legal now?
It's a big grey area.
The confusion around the legality of the boxes is so great that it could take a court case involving Middlesbrough resident Brian Thompson to help settle it. Mr Thompson is thought to be the first man brought to court to face allegations of selling pre-loaded Kodi or Android boxes. He has denied any wrongdoing.
The boxes themselves are, effectively, legal.
Are there any other similar legal cases?
One has just finished, and resulted in one man receiving a four year jail sentence for conspiracy to defraud.
In what was the first sentencing of its kind, Terry O'Reilly was handed the tough term for selling over 1,000 boxes to pubs.
READ MORE: Amazon takes action to crack down on illegal use of Kodi boxes
The pubs used them to illegally stream Premier League football matches.
Following the result, Premier League Director of Legal Services Kevin Plumb said: "The courts have provided a clear message: this is against the law and selling systems which allow people to watch unauthorised Premier League broadcasts is a form of mass piracy and is sufficiently serious to warrant a custodial sentence.
"There can now be no doubt for consumers that these systems are illegal."
So they are no longer on sale?
They are indeed on sale.
The case involving O'Reilly was for a conspiracy to defraud, a less serious charge than those Mr Thompson is facing. His charges, which his solicitor claimed was under an "unusual piece of legislation", sees him accused of selling boxes "adapted for the purpose of enabling or facilitating the circumvention of effective technological measures".
Oh, and there's a third charge involving "advertising a product to circumvent technological measures". That case focuses specifically on selling pre-loaded boxes. Until that, or another similar case, has gone through the courts it is likely they will still be sold on the high street.
Retail giants like Tesco and Amazon are selling similar devices, although they aren't pre-loaded.
All of this is confusing
Indeed it is.
But to sum up: Kodi in its unaltered form is perfectly legal, but certain add-ons do blur things.
If you're already comfortable with watching streams on websites such as Putlocker, then using Kodi with particular add-ons is no different. If you aren't, it's worth steering clear of many of Kodi's most popular extensions.
