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Middlesbrough Trader Prosecuted for Selling Streaming Boxes Preloaded with Kodi
Brian Thompson, a Middlesbrough trader, has been prosecuted [gazettelive.co.uk] for selling set-top boxes running Android that come pre-installed with the Kodi/XBMC [kodi.tv] open source media centre software.
A Middlesbrough trader is set to make legal history as the first person to be prosecuted for selling Android boxes.
Following an 18-month investigation, Brian Thompson has been told Middlesbrough Council is taking him to court in what could prove a landmark case.
The council claims the boxes are illegal, but Brian said: “I am pleading not guilty and I’m going to fight this.”
The kit - also known as a ‘Kodi box’ - allows viewers to watch copyright material like Premier League football and Hollywood movies for free.
As such there are major question marks over both their legality, and exactly just what people can safely watch.
What seems to be at issue here is that some traders, perhaps Thompson, were selling these set-top boxes preloaded with third-party Kodi add-ons that permit access to media in violation of copyright law. More coverage at the BBC. [bbc.com]
