Kodi has issued its stark warning yet to those who use the platform for illegal streaming, branding some of the add-ons available for the software “illegal and downright nasty”.
While there are loads of great legal Kodi add-ons you can install on the popular media player, the software is still arguably best known for letting users stream live sport and watch new films for free.
In many cases, this content in copyright protected, so the software has often found itself at the centre of the ongoing international piracy crackdown – despite being perfectly legal in and of itself.
Now, the XBMC Foundation (the non-profit group that operates the Kodi project) has issued its clearest and most damning indictment of illegal streaming on its player yet, tellings users bluntly that there “no such thing as a free lunch” and to “stop using” add-ons providing access to copyrighted content.
Writing on the Kodi community blog, Cris Silva says:
“We know the story. A work colleague told you about some wonderful software that makes it very easy to watch your favorite sports, movies and TV shows online and for free. You go out and buy a Kodi box. You plug it to your TV set and voilà – instant free entertainment!
“Now, if it sounds like it can’t be legit because it literally sounds too good to be true, and that they must be dodgy or bonkers doing all this for nothing, I can tell you your spidey senses are absolutely correct. It is too good to be true and there is no such thing as a free lunch.
“We can see the appeal of Kodi builds, but please stop using them.”
He also reminds users of the “important distinction to be made between official and third-party add-ons”, noting that: “Official add-ons are reviewed and curated by Kodi Team members and if they meet all the rules, included in our official add-on repository.”
Earlier in the year, the XBMC Foundation took similarly drastic action when it sought to dispel myths surrounding so-called ‘Kodi boxes’.
“We do not sell computers, Kodi boxes, Kodi sticks, carrot sticks or french fries,” it said in a blog post confirming there was no official Kodi hardware.
With over 30 million users, Kodi is one of the most popular media players in the world. As we’ve said, it’s a perfectly legal piece of software and available on a number of mainstream platforms, including Google Play.
You can also easily install Kodi, and the organisation’s latest version of the software, Kodi 18 Leia, is its most accomplished yet, so it would still seem to have a reasonably bright future – provided it doesn’t fall foul of the illegal streaming crackdown mafia.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
