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Kodi Magazine 'Directs Readers To Pirate Content' (bbc.com)

Posted by msmash on from the pen-is-mightier dept.

An anonymous reader writes: A British magazine is directing readers to copyright-infringing software, the Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact) has said. Kodi is a free, legal media player for computers -- but software add-ons can make it possible to download pirated content. The Complete Guide to Kodi magazine instructs readers on how to download such add-ons. Dennis Publishing has not yet responded to a BBC request for comment. The magazine is available at a number of retailers including WH Smith, Waterstones and Amazon. It was spotted on sale by cyber-security researcher Kevin Beaumont. It repeatedly warns readers of the dangers of accessing pirated content online, but one article lists a series of software packages alongside screenshots promoting "free TV", "popular albums" and "world sport". "Check before you stream and use them at your own risk," the guide says, before adding that readers should stay "on the right side of the law."

48 comments

  1. So do I, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Torrentz2.eu

  2. Oh, come on. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Leave Kodi alone. It's bad enough Netflix and other legal streaming services won't develop an add-on for the media player, but now you attack a piece of software because add-on developers, (NOT CORE), made something which CAN stream pirated content?

    Fuck off already.

    1. Re: Oh, come on. by muffen · · Score: 3, Informative

      Seems like the complaint is towards the magazine and not Kodi itself.

    2. Re: Oh, come on. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      FUD rarely has to be on target to be effective.

    3. Re:Oh, come on. by KiloByte · · Score: 2, Interesting

      And why those "security researchers" won't teach users about the dangers of DRM? That pirated content are harmless data-only files, while "legal" crap requires installing backdoor malware.

      --
      The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
    4. Re: Oh, come on. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The funny thing is, Slashdot now directs Readers to a Magazine that directs Readers to Pirate Content. I had never heard of "The Complete Guide to Kodi" magazine until now.
      msmash/manishs, have you no shame?

    5. Re: Oh, come on. by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Indeed. It is an area effect weapon.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    6. Re:Oh, come on. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But, but, but, 99% of the ads promise something for free, and you end up actually paying 10 times the price....
      So, are all "free beer" ads illegal too?

    7. Re: Oh, come on. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As it should be.
      Using a a third-party add-on isn't that different from running a program in an operating system.
      That you can install programs that lets you access content from people who commit copyright infringement is hardly news or that noteworthy.
      I wouldn't be surprised if someone made a torrent client in Microsoft Excel but there is hardly any reason to criticize Microsoft for making that possible.

    8. Re: Oh, come on. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Um, well one could genuinely ask why does a spreadsheet need such levels of scripting complexity that something like this is possible in the first place? Nothing to do with the current vibe of the conversation though but one could criticize M$ none the less.

    9. Re: Oh, come on. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What's an "M$"? Is that like a pirated version of Excel for retards like yourself?

    10. Re: Oh, come on. by TuringTest · · Score: 2

      one could genuinely ask why does a spreadsheet need such levels of scripting complexity

      Why wouldn't it? Spreadsheets are functional business-oriented IDEs. Wouldn't you like that your IDE is scriptable?

      --
      Singularity: a belief in the "God" idea with the "demiurge" relation inverted.
    11. Re: Oh, come on. by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      Nice slippery slope you're building there. You can't talk about illegal activity because it will be presumed you are encouraging it.

      Sometimes you want to AVOID the corner with the rug dealer.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    12. Re: Oh, come on. by PoopJuggler · · Score: 1

      Especially if they're natural fiber rugs with no stain protection. That's just asking for trouble.

    13. Re: Oh, come on. by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      How about a proper link https://kodi.tv/download/849 and this https://mediaexperience.com/xb... and of course this http://kodi.wiki/view/Official.... I am sure most of you can do what ever you feel the need to do there in after.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    14. Re: Oh, come on. by The+Snowman · · Score: 1

      What's an "M$"? Is that like a pirated version of Excel for retards like yourself?

      Penny Arcade explained this way back in 2002.

      --
      24 beers in a case, 24 hours in a day. Coincidence? I think not!
    15. Re: Oh, come on. by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 1

      Kodi's origins were in piracy, more or less. It was built from a pirated xbox SDK, distributed on thepiratebay, and didn't observe the GPL licensed mplayer that it was based on by not releasing the source.

  3. What else is Kodi worth paying for? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Napsta!

  4. Consider Windows by John+Allsup · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Microsoft Windows is a legal operating system you can run on your PC, but it is possible to install add-ons which permit the user to download pirated content. Indeed Microsoft Windows is the most popular platform amongst software and media pirates. In addition, Microsoft does essentially nothing to prevent its operating system being used for piracy.

    --
    John_Chalisque
    1. Re:Consider Windows by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't worry. Not everyone is able to comprehend language. You're just out on the tail of the bell end curve.

    2. Re:Consider Windows by Rockoon · · Score: 1

      That sort of thinking wont stop at windows.

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    3. Re:Consider Windows by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 1

      I think you can say, with little debate, that Windows is the greatest enabler of media piracy for the masses ever created, aside from the internet itself.

    4. Re:Consider Windows by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...and yet they continue to try to shut the door and create a closed environment long after the animals have fled the pen.

    5. Re:Consider Windows by kamapuaa · · Score: 1

      The difference is that Windows is usually used for non-piracy related reasons. Meanwhile, there is just about zero reason to use Kodi for non-piracy related reasons.

      It's like bittorrent, or SNES emulators...sure people can use it for Linux distributions or their self-transferred SNES game files, but realistically they are both 99.9% used for piracy, and everybody knows it, and anybody who claims otherwise is being disingenuous because they want to make a point.

      --
      Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
    6. Re:Consider Windows by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No non pirating use? THEN WHY THE FUCK IS THE COMPLAINT ABOUT AN ADD-ON???????

      Even the bloody people trying to close it down disagree with you, so how the hell do you consider that you could even vaguely be possibly right, with a squint and bad eyesight and a hope and prayer????

      No, Kodi is a free media player that is designed to look great on your big screen TV but is just as home on a small screen. It has the same non-piracy uses that Windows Media Player does. PRECISELY the same non-piracy uses that WMP (or Quicktime, etc) do.

    7. Re:Consider Windows by tepples · · Score: 1

      Microsoft does essentially nothing to prevent its operating system being used for piracy.

      Of course it does. Windows Store in theory doesn't accept applications whose primary purpose is copyright infringement. Windows 10 S doesn't run applications obtained outside Windows Store. All that's left is to retire Windows 10 Home in favor of Windows 10 S.

    8. Re:Consider Windows by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Spoken like a true Pirate. Stunningly, you would find the amount of users that use Kodi for their home theatres, and media libraries out of proportion to the high seas users.

      Put on your life jacket.

  5. Right side of the law by thegarbz · · Score: 2

    Is there anything illegal about streaming content? Pretty much every case I've seen has centred around uploading or making available (the downside of torrenting). On a purely download / streaming basis has anyone actually ever been found guilty of copyright infringement?

    1. Re:Right side of the law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      It is now, in the UK.

      The law was unclear until recently. The Digital Economy Act was passed in April. It's one of those grab-bag laws which ended up covering a wide manner of essentially unrelated matters because so many MPs saw it as a chance to tack on their own amendments - it's got provisions relating to internet pornography, bulk purchasing of event tickets, subtitling requirements, contracted workers and a lot of other stuff. Burried in among all that is the section which clarifies that streaming copyrighted infringing material is illegal, even if no permanent copy is created. It also allows a ten year prison term for those found guilty of facilitating streaming - but that doesn't apply to those who only watch the stream. It's intended specifically for people who supply the software.

    2. Re:Right side of the law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Viewing illegal content via stream is illegal but it's small potatoes. It's not worth prosecuting. To get felony-level charges you have to make infringing content available, such as hosting a stream or allowing a bittorrent to be uploaded to other users.

      So yeah, every case you see is about that upload, not about viewing a stream. They'll go after the downloaders when they have a chance of making more money on the attack than they'd spend in legal fees.

  6. And cars can be used to get away from a heist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So sue Ford.

    And programs on TV can show you how to murder someone. So sue the BBC!

  7. Big deal detector set to max sensitivity by Hognoxious · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Big deal detector set to max sensitivity. Reading nothing. Flatline.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    1. Re:Big deal detector set to max sensitivity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      at least you can eat kodi :) and we arent waring over stupid shite. so alls good in... game of thrones map, £10 framed and shit. lick myballs and sell me weapons and we can deal!!!

  8. KODI has a blacklist now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh wow.. So Kodi has a blacklist now of plugins it refuses to install? WTF?!

    1. Re:KODI has a blacklist now by Rockoon · · Score: 1

      I don 't know about any blacklist, but if it were to happen then the plugins would become the name-your-own-plugin plugins. Good luck blacklisting that sort of scenario.

      Kodi needs to deal with the fact that its not like those other media kits. Those other kits are locked down at least reasonably well. Kodi can never be locked down without becoming just like all the other media kits, and you can be sure it will then easily lose the locked-down competition to the already established players.

      The amount of "pirating" via Kodi is only going to increase. At some point there is going to be a legal showdown.

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    2. Re:KODI has a blacklist now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It can't be locked down because the DRM processes are not licensed to Kodi.

  9. Including all computer magazines by tomxor · · Score: 2

    seeing as computers have these addons called programs that can be used to pirate software... we know where this road goes, cars can be used by theives etc. FACT is a lie.

  10. Sloppy Journalism. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm not going to come down on the magazine for the copyright thing, but telling your readers to "check before you stream" and "use at your own risk" is just sloppy journalism. Why can't the reporter do the research to find out if the site is a pirate site? Or at least enough to say "we saw a lot of pirated shows - beware" or "the shows we saw listed looked legit"...The fact that they didn't do the research is actually a point in FACTs favor that the intent is just to promote the sites with a strong implication of a "wink, wink" after the "use at your own risk".

    But FACT is still taking the opportunity to tar Kodi with the brush it's using on the magazine.

    1. Re:Sloppy Journalism. by Highdude702 · · Score: 1

      Once they start producing stuff worth watching, People may think about paying for it again..

  11. Fact of life by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

    There's always going to be some degree of sharing (that they want to demonize as 'piracy') no matter how draconian they get about it, and beyond a certain point it makes no sense to squeeze any tighter. Keep in mind that these people are of a mindset such that they get all anxious at the thought that someone might pay a rental fee for ONE copy of a movie, yet invite TEN or TWENTY people over to watch it, and they're not paying.

  12. here is what will happen with digital content by mapkinase · · Score: 2

    Privacy is gone. Say goodbye to it. ISPs will officially track "every link you click, every move you make". So, at this point, it is time to make lemonade from lemons and delegate content payment distribution on ISPs: we pay a fixed ISP fee we are paying now, no more, ISP determines the content we are watching and distributes the correponding portion to content owners.

    Whether you wanted or not, this is where it will be going.

    --
    I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
    1. Re:here is what will happen with digital content by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Privacy is gone. Say goodbye to it.

      Look it's another shill declaring "the death of privacy", and "won't you all bow down and give us all of your information?" in the same statement.

      Maybe it's dead for idiots that don't care. But for those that do, it's still around. You just don't get it by default anymore, because that's not profitable.

      Society is going to regret throwing away it's morals and ethics in the name of profit one day. You can't keep a society (you scratch my back, I scratch yours) going for very long if everyone is too busy swindling each other (greed). It's two extremes of the same spectrum competing against each other.

  13. 10 M$ = "Microsoft" by tepples · · Score: 1

    M$ is a valid name for a string in older versions of the BASIC programming language. It's sometimes used as a nickname for Microsoft, which got its start as a publisher of BASIC interpreters for 8-bit home computers.

  14. SNES vs. NES for piracy by tepples · · Score: 1

    It's like bittorrent, or SNES emulators...sure people can use it for Linux distributions or their self-transferred SNES game files, but realistically they are both 99.9% used for piracy

    I notice you mentioned the Super NES as opposed to the original NES. Is this because of the healthy amateur game development scene on the NES compared to the lack of one on the Super NES?

  15. The name "FACT" is so idiotic. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Infringing a copyright does not sieze it from the holder. IMO, until someone is prosecuted for "copyright theft," "intellectual property theft," I will just act like they only exist in the minds of the ill-informed, seeing that the crimes are still patent infringement, copyright infringement, trademark infringement, etc.
    I mean, bloody hell, the laziness in the factual nature of the name - it's like when ppl dropped "change" from "climate change denial," making the phrase "climate denial," which is idiotic sounding since, well, how do you deny a climate?

  16. Copyright laws destroy the free market by force by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The entertainment industry makes way too much fucking money. No actor or musician deserves to be a fucking billionaire. They then think that this somehow gives them the moral authority to tell others how to think. Fuck that. They are thieves who are abusing a thieving system. I will stop downloading pirated movies and music from the web as soon as the copyright laws are changed to enable a true free market system. Until then, I will continue to use free shit.

  17. movies are culture by Reverend+Green · · Score: 1

    Yay police state! Culture only for those who can pay! Fuck you, plebs, that's why!