Two men were jailed after they were caught selling devices that looked Kodi style and which allowed its users to watch premium content without paying a subscription fee. The jailing of the two men shows that the crackdown on illegal streaming is running high. Darren Wicks and Glenn Burrows made an appearance in front of the Norwich Crown Court.
What punishment did they receive?
Glen Burrows was sentenced to 22 months whereas Wicks was sentenced to 20 months in the prison where he has to additionally serve 250 hours of unpaid work. In 2016, Glenn Burrows operate under two company names which where “Oober” and “Ooberstickk” which allowed thousands of customers to access illicit streaming device. Through these devices, the users were able to access the premium content of Sky without paying any valid subscription fee.
According to reports of TorrentFreak, the devices offered by the company contained a custom build of the Kodi player which when configured in an illegal manner allowed the users to view premium content for free. Sergeant Samantha Shevlin, detective and a member of Suffolk Police Cyber Crime Unit said, “I hope these sentences send a clear message that the use of illicit streaming devices to watch content without the copyright owner’s permission is illegal.”
Because of these illegal sales, the content owners and broadcasters were affected greatly. And apart from that, the customers had to pay a higher amount because of other’s honesty. Previously, a shopkeeper sold TV boxes that came loaded with premium movies and sport. Later, he was also jailed for the same.
Is using Kodi illegal?
Through these measures, a clear message was given to the public that using TV boxes which are fully loaded with Kodi boxes are illegal. Millions of people from the UK uses Kodi for watching shows and therefore Kodi has become the focus of the authorities and the right holder. However, it should be mentioned that using Kodi is not illegal, but using add-ons in that for accessing other premium content is illegal. Also, the devices that come with other illicit stream devices may have other hidden dangers.
Are these illegal devices safe to use?
Researchers have shown that all the illicit devices have to felt to match the quality of national electrical safety regulations. By plugging these devices in television actually poses a risk to the entire family. Steve Cutler, Product Safety Manager at Electrical Safety First has urged the people to unplug such devices and remain safe. Apart from conducting illegal acts, they are throwing themselves into danger.