Two people from Hampshire have been arrested this week on suspicion of carrying out offences related to piracy.
Portsmouth News reports (via TorrentFreak) that a 41-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman, both from Bursledon, have been questioned “on suspicion of offences under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and associated money laundering under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.”
Read more: Is Kodi legal?
The duo was reportedly referred to officers from Hampshire County Council’s (HCC) Trading Standards Service and Hampshire Constabulary by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT).
Trusted Reviews has asked FACT for more details about the case, and this article will be updated when the organisation responds.
“Providing copyright material such as that from Sky or BT Sport, brings a significant loss to legitimate businesses – this is illegal and I would urge residents to be careful when they are signing up to subscription services from third parties as it is also illegal to watch,” said councillor Roy Perry of the HCC.
“It is possible to trace this type of online activity, and we will continue to investigate and pursue those involved in illegal streaming of copyright television as it threatens the livelihoods of those working legitimately in the industry and the wider UK economy.”
There’s been a heavy crackdown on illegal streamers this summer.
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In July, two men were sentenced to a combined 42 months behind bars after being caught selling partially configured Kodi boxes under the name Oobersticks. In the same month, another Kodi box seller − who managed to flog more than 8000 devices, making over £750,000 in the process − was jailed for more than five years.
And in August, another Kodi box seller was sentenced to 16 months behind bars after being investigated by Sky.
Do you think the anti-piracy push is working? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter @TrustedReviews.
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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.