A man has been arrested over the streaming service Kodi, with him being the first individual to be charged with selling a device carrying the app.
Kodi is a streaming app that can be downloaded onto Android devices such as Amazon’s Fire TV, with it allowing users to access free illegal streams of movies, TV shows and sports, including coverage of the Premier League. Although the app isn’t illegal in and of itself, the various plug-ins that can be added to it which carry these illegal streams are, but up until now no punishment has been faced by those utilizing and installing these plug-ins.
The Kodi app is often installed on Amazon’s Fire TV.
However, it has now been reported that a trader from Teeside will appear in court after being charged with selling devices carrying the Kodi app, with the result of his trial set to dictate law enforcement’s approach to the streaming service from here on out. If the trader is imprisoned or fined for selling Kodi boxes, this will therefore mean that others selling Android devices carrying the app will face similar punishments, too.
Thus far Kodi has operated in a grey area of the law. While it is illegal to stream pirated content using the app, the app itself isn’t inherently illegal, meaning that you can even find devices carrying Kodi being sold on the likes of eBay. However, if the arrested man is punished for selling Kodi boxes, then it will spark a change in the way authorities handle these cases from here on out. Considering how prolific Kodi boxes are becoming in the UK, this could prove to be worrying news for a lot of people.
