If you're not familiar with Kodi, it's a free, open-source media center application that's available for pretty much every platform imaginable. But given its open platform for extensibility, third-party add-ons have become increasingly popular for piracy in the mainstream.
That's apparent with a magazine that was published in the UK in April, The Complete Guide to Kodi, along with a subtitle that says, "Watch Anything, Anytime, Anywhere!" If the subtitle doesn't make it entirely obvious, it directs readers to pirate content, according to the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT).
According to the BBC, it "repeatedly warns readers of the dangers of accessing pirated content online", but it demonstrates how to install "a series of software packages" that promise free (and illegal) content. FACT says that it has been in contact with Dennis Publishing regarding the magazine and that it's working with the City of London Police's Intellectual Property Crime Unit.
The developers behind Kodi have repeatedly expressed frustration over the app's growing use for illegal means, as the XBMC Foundation intends it for legitimate purposes. It has suggested implementing a low-level DRM to promote legal usage, while expressing that blocking third-party add-ons wouldn't work. The organization does have a list of "banned" repositories and add-ons that aren't supported, two of which were included in the magazine.
Of course, it's not hard to find out how to use Kodi to stream pirated media, especially as the process becomes more and more mainstream, but while the practice becomes more popular, authorities are continuing to work on new ways to crack down on it.
The magazine is already available at a number of retailers, including Amazon UK.
Source and image: BBC
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