Kodi crackdown continues in latest UK Raid

[Len]

Westminster council has confirmed the arrest of a man and the seizure of 40 Android streaming boxes pre-loaded with the Kodi software.

Police in London have arrested a 53-year-old man and taken possession of a stash of 40 Android-powered set-top boxes containing the Kodi media streaming software along with other apps.

According to Westminster Council, the arrest was made after police raided a property in W2 and secured the gadgets, which were being sold online for as much as £100 each.

They were loaded with the free Kodi software and had been configured with third-party add-ons that allowed owners to stream copyrighted material such as films and live sport over the internet for free.

As well as discovering the access to pirate content, investigators also determined that the gadgets weren't up to UK mains power safety standards. They believe the boxes could have overheated or even exploded.

The seized boxes were being sold with a two-pin power adapter, indicating they were imported into the UK from Europe. Any electrical device in the UK is required to be sold with a UK mains plug.

“Stopping this individual may prevent the distribution of hundreds of these potentially dangerous devices across Westminster and the rest of the country," said Councillor Antonia Cox, Westminster cabinet member for Public Protection and Licensing.

"This Westminster Trading Standards-led operation would not have been possible without the cooperation of FACT and GAIN, and we will continue to work together to stamp out online piracy in the City.

"These illegal media players may look harmless but they operate outside all the regular safety checks, and could pose a risk of electrocution or fire. By buying these gadgets you may be cheating actors and creatives out of their earnings, and even worse you could cause an electrical fire in your own home.”

Kodi has been the subject of a mass of legal pressure over the last few months even though the neutral software has nothing to do with piracy. It is a free way of distributing content that has become the preferred choice for third-party apps illegally streaming copyrighted material.

Rights holders have begun to work with internet service providers to try and stamp out the spread of pirate streams by threatening legal action against those who supply them. As a result, several well-known Kodi add-ons have been taken offline.

The XBMC Foundation, which oversees the Kodi software, appears to be utterly fed up with the situation, stating that it is not interested in hearing users' complaints, and labelling those who sell these fully-loaded Kodi boxes as "criminals".

"If you post in our forums or social channels about a pirate add-on or streaming service not working please expect ZERO sympathy or support," it said in a blog post .

However, a report by the UK's Intellectual Property Office (IPO) estimates that 15% of UK internet users - approximately 7 million people - still stream or download material that infringes copyright.

"There has never been more choice or flexibility for consumers of TV and music, however illicit streaming devices and stream-ripping are threatening this progress," said Ros Lynch, Copyright and IP Enforcement Director at the IPO.

Ms Lynch added that illegal streaming "is not a grey area", and that content creators deserve to be paid for their work.

"This government takes IP infringement extremely seriously and we are working with our industry partners and law enforcement to tackle this emerging threat," she said.

Meanwhile, major online retailers including Amazon, eBay and Facebook have also banned sales of fully-loaded Kodi boxes and other illicit streaming devices on their sites.

Earlier this year, the Digital Economy Act was passed, increasing the maximum prison term for online copyright infringement from two years to 10 .