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Police have arrested a 53 year-old man and seized a stash of some 40 Android-powered set-top boxes preloaded with the Kodi media plater and other third-party software. Officers raided a
property in W2 on July 12th, Westminster Council has confirmed. A man was arrested and the so-called Kodi Boxes were taken away. The devices were being sold online for some £100 per unit.
According to Westminster Council, an investigation had revealed that the set-top boxes were preloaded with third-party Kodi add-ons that allowed owners to stream copyrighted content,
including premium television channels, movies and sport, for free. The £100 Kodi Boxes were also not safe to use on UK mains power, investigators discovered. Safety is increasingly becoming
an issue with these low-cost imported boxes, with many not built to current EU and UK safety standards. This could led to problems with the devices overheating – or even bursting into
flames. In this case, the so-called Kodi Boxes were sold with a two-pin power supply. UK law requires that any electrical items sold in the UK must include a UK mains plug. While it is
possible to use adapters on two-pin plugs – this lacks the safety of a properly designed UK mains plug. The news comes as Derbyshire Police executed a warrant at a property in Derby as part
of its ongoing crackdown on devices that enable viewers to illegally stream subscription services. The warrant was obtained as part of a joint investigation with anti-piracy body FACT. A
large amount of cash was seized during the warrant, along with various pieces of electronic equipment. A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of fraud, money laundering and copyright
offences and has been released under investigation while inquiries continue. CEO of FACT Kieron Sharp said: “This collaboration between Derbyshire police and FACT is another step forward in
disrupting the sale of illegal streaming devices. “People may think there is nothing wrong with having one of these devices and streaming premium pay-for channels for free, such as live
sports. “However this is illegal and you would be breaking the law. “Don’t be fooled by devices that offer you the latest Hollywood films and premium pay-for-view sports for no charge. “If
you want to watch this kind of content we strongly advise you go directly to the official provider to ensure you don’t fall foul of the law.” Kodi is a neutral media player that can be
installed on a wide range of desktop computers, servers, smartphones, HDMI streaming devices. The media player is capable of streaming content from the internet, a home network or local HDD
storage. The open-source software itself is perfectly legal, however, it does allow users to install additional apps that can enable access to copyrighted material – uploaded, shared or
streamed from other users across the globe – without permission from the rightsholders. Ready-made streaming set-top boxes, running on hardware from a variety of different manufacturers and
preloaded with third-party add-ons that enable access to pirate content, are colloquially known as Kodi Boxes. * If you have information relating to the sale or provision of illegal
streaming devices or services, call 101 or alternatively, you can give information anonymously to Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.