(UK) Set-top box seller Malcolm Mayes ordered to pay £250,000

[MickZA]

A businessman who sold "fully loaded" set-top boxes to pubs and clubs, enabling them to watch subscription TV for free, must pay £250,000.

Malcolm Mayes, from Hartlepool, admitted breaching the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act by advertising and selling adapted IPTV boxes.

...

Mayes sold the boxes - often referred to as "Android" or "Kodi" boxes - to pubs and clubs across the country for £1,000 each and advertised the devices as "100% legal".

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tees-39184505

 

[pedruid]

I just read about it in Wales Online.
Are they legal to use in this country and is it a waste to get a 4K version?

 

[MickZA]

I just read about it in Wales Online.
Are they legal to use in this country and is it a waste to get a 4K version?

"Fully loaded" retailers have been prosecuted locally already - AV Supply iirc.

I'm guessing that bare bones TV boxes are fine if you can't watch "pirated" shows out of the box.

Grey area once you do the Kodi etc setup yourself and start watching .

 

[Dan C]

£1,000 each :wtf:

 

[Neoprod]

I just read about it in Wales Online.
Are they legal to use in this country and is it a waste to get a 4K version?

They're not legal in the sense that you're acquiring content that another entity has the right to distribute in our territory. However, it's almost impossible to police home-users. Pubs, restaurants, TV box vendors are much easier targets for the enforcement people.

On 4k, assuming you have enough download bandwidth to make it work, I wouldn't say it's a waste. If you bought a 4k TV already, it's probably the best way of making use of it.

 

[pedruid]

Thanks, I don't have 4K TV and my ADSL is only 10 Mbps.

 

[MickZA]

(UK) Premier League gets Kodi piracy court order

The Premier League has secured a court order to help tackle rights-infringing video streams of football matches via so-called Kodi set-top boxes.

The order gives the league the means to have computer servers used to power the streams blocked.

Until now, it could only go after individual video streams which were relatively easy to re-establish at different links.

A spokesman said it could now target pirates in a "precise manner".

"For the first time this will enable the Premier League to disrupt and prevent the illegal streaming of our matches via IPTV, so-called Kodi, boxes," he added.

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-39206185

Wonder how they will enforce this.