How to enjoy Copyright Troll Free content on Kodi
If you have been using Kodi for a while now and are following the news, then you are probably aware of the hype going on around this incredible media player that has seemed to be marred by unnecessary attention.
Nevertheless, before we go any further, most of you might not have heard of what Kodi is. So, let us begin by telling you a bit about Kodi and its creator.
What is Kodi?
Primarily, Kodi is a digital media player that allows you to stream content from third-party providers. That is, Kodi itself does not have any content of its own. This implies you as a user, need to have access to a certain content provider or media such as a DVD to stream content on Kodi.
The media player was created by the non-profit technology consortium XBMC Foundation. Kodi can be used with a number of software platforms and hardware and is highly customizable.
It is compatible with a variety of plug-ins that expand the platform’s versatility in terms of accessing content from different content providers.
Copyright infringement and the Digital Economy Bill
Now that you know what Kodi is, it is time to reveal the many issues surrounding the use of Kodi. Being a media player that allows users to install third-party plug-ins and integrate with third-party hardware, Kodi seems to have found itself amidst a conundrum that it never expected.
However, this was not until the introduction or more precisely, the revamping of the Digital Economy Bill.
To give you a bit of history as to what the Bill is, it is essentially a bill of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It deals with issues associated with electronic communication along with digital infrastructure and services.
Nevertheless, the main issue lies in its amended provision that deals with copyright infringement. According to the Bill, even minor copyright infringements can implicate you as a criminal and put you through a long imprisonment sentence.
Such minor infringements not only involve accessing illegal content through various content providers but also little things like sharing GIFs that contain copyright content. The provision was amended due to pressures from lobby groups which are obviously those who provide legal copyright content.
This has what caused so much of hype around the bill since various lobby groups such as the Open Rights Group have criticized the ambiguous wording of the bill.
Kodi under the Digital Economy Bill
So, how is it all related to Kodi? Well, as mentioned earlier, Kodi is an open media player that allows its users to stream content from various plug-ins and different types of media streaming hardware.
Given that the Digital Economy Bill criminalizes the most minor of infringements, Kodi has somehow become the target of the Bill.
Since Kodi allows you to stream content through a number of third-party content providers, it is likely that these providers, in turn, are providing copyright content illegally.
Therefore, under the Digital Economy Bill, if you are streaming illegal content as such, you can get implicated for copyright infringement and be sentenced to jail.
Kodi not illegal by itself
One thing that needs to be pointed out here is that Kodi in and itself is not illegal. It is simply a media player that lets you stream content from whatever source you may want.As such, this can be torrent-downloaded content, a movie from a Blu-ray disc and anything that gives you digital content.
Therefore, Kodi has clearly mentioned that it is not involved in directly providing any type of content and thereby is not liable for any sort of infringement.
Nevertheless, since Kodi is compatible with plug-ins that may be providing illegal content, the matter that Kodi is illegal under the Digital Economy Bill is open to debate.
Copyright Trolls
In any case, the issue is not that whether Kodi itself is illegal or not. Rather, the real problem is that of copyright trolls.
With the revamped Bill likely to implicate almost anyone streaming even the tiniest amount of copyright content, there is no telling as to how many fake content providers can troll users by threatening them of imprisonment.
Not only this, but users may also get trolled for accessing content which is perfectly legal to stream.
Copyright trolls, exploiting the Digital Economy Bill, can easily force a particular user to pay up if he or she wants to avoid going to the prison.
As such, Kodi allowing you to view content from various sources, can become the main target of such copyright trolls with unknown copyright notices popping up and making unnecessary demands.
Protecting yourself from such trolls
So, is there a way to protect yourself from all of this? To your relief, there indeed is. A very smart yet simple solution to the problem is to use aVirtual Private Network (VPN) service to hide your IP and as such protect yourself from getting tracked.
A VPN, such as that provided by Limevpn, can allow you to hide your real IP and hence prevent unnecessary copyright trolls from targeting you.
What is a VPN?
For those who may not be familiar with what a VPN is, it is essentially a digital tool that allows you to hide your real IP. This means your real identity cannot be known.
You can connect to a VPN and appear as if you are in a completely different location. This implies that even if you get fake copyright messages, you need not worry, since your true identity is completely hidden.
So, buy a VPN plan now and enjoy unlimited streaming on Kodi.
Rachael Chapman
A Complete gamer and a Tech Geek. Brings out all her thoughts and love in writing blogs on IOT, software, technology etc
