The UK is continuing its fight against users and sellers of “fully loaded” Kodi streaming TV boxes and has arrested five people in a series of raids. The raids were investigated by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) at the request of Sky, the Premier League, and Virgin Media. The sale of streaming devices with Kodi pre-installed isn’t illegal in itself, but the people arrested were selling what FACT calls “fully loaded” Kodi boxes. These devices come with additional add-ons installed which allow users to watch subscription and pay-per-view TV without having to pay for it.
Kieron Sharp, director general of FACT, said the arrests “should send out a clear warning to anyone involved in the sale and distribution of illegal set-top boxes”.
“Set-top boxes loaded with apps and add-ons allowing access to copyright infringing material are very much illegal and anyone involved in selling these boxes should not be surprised to receive a knock on the door.”
The raids were carried out in Bolton, Bootle, Manchester, and Cheadle, as well as in Rhyl, North Wales. A number of devices were seized along with the arrests and FACT believes those arrested have made around £250,000 from selling the boxes. Last year, Terry O’Reilly was sentenced to four years in prison and Brian Thompson is facing trial later this year for selling “fully loaded” Kodi devices.
What do you think about the UK crackdown on “fully loaded” Kodi streaming devices? Let us know in the comments below or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.
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