“Websites enable one-click installation of modified software onto set-top boxes or other internet-connected devices,” the MPAA said to MultiChannel News. Then the software taps into an “infringing ecosystem” of content add-ons and portals, with more than 750 websites offering such infringing devices or software.
“Online content theft undermines the economic success of film and television, threatens the livelihoods of millions of creators, and harms consumers by spreading viruses and malware,” MPAA told USTR. “In particular, streaming device piracy – enabled by preloaded piracy devices and unauthorized add-ons – poses a significant and evolving challenge. Today, 6% of North American households own a device with software configured to access pirated content.”
According to the MPAA an estimated 27 million Kodi users use piracy add-ons. The MPAA says such infringing devices and add-ons are a serious threat to copyright holders.
The MPAA seems to not be the only ones upset about piracy. Recently the team behind Kodi has targeted specific sites it says “bring nothing but misery to everyone.”
So what’s next? Dish recently started a lawsuit to go after both the add-on makers and a website that promotes how to install them. Now that the MPAA is taking note, it likely means more are planning to go after pirates that use third-party Kodi add-ons, and it seems that the team behind Kodi has no issue with that.
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