UK Court Sentences Two Kodi Box Sellers to A Combined 42 Months in Prison
Last updated August 17, 2021
- Two individuals were handed jail sentences for selling piracy-enabled Kodi Boxes in the UK.
- The Norwich Crown Court declared Glen Burrows and Darren Wicks guilty of selling illegal devices in the United Kingdom.
- The duo will have to serve a combined 42 months in prison and also serve other legal punishments.
Two British citizens were sentenced to serve a combined 42 months in prison for selling piracy-enabled Kodi boxes. The Norwich Crown Court found Glenn Burrows, 33, and Darren Wicks, 45, guilty of money laundering, copyright infringement, and encouraging and assisting the commission of piracy activities.
Kodi as a streaming platform is completely legitimate, and it allows users to organize and access content online. However, there is piracy enabled add-ons built by third parties which can allow users to access copyrighted content illegally. The entertainment industry has been trying to crack down on online piracy, and the lawsuit against Burrows and Wicks is one of many copyright infringement lawsuits filed by the industry. Piracy-enabled Kodi boxes are regarded as illegal items in the United Kingdom, and the police are cracking down on “fully-loaded” Kodi box sellers.
The lawsuit was initiated back in 2016 when Burrows was accused of selling piracy-enabled Kodi boxes under the product names “Oober Media” and “Ooberstick.” The devices allowed users to access Sky TV content without requiring a paid subscription and it came with a modified version of the Kodi app. Wicks was involved in the business and helped Burrows ship the devices to users. Burrows and Wicks were arrested on December 13, 2016, and were released with the investigation against them ongoing. Last year, Burrows pleaded guilty of piracy and was also charged with money laundering. Wicks was also charged with piracy-related activities, but he did not plead guilty until May 17, 2018.
Burrows will be serving 22 months in prison and will have to follow a Serious Crime Prevention Order that prevents the sale of any product online in the next five years. He will also be required to report all of his online usernames and identities to Norwich’s Norfolk Constabulary. Wicks will have to serve 20 months of jail time and also carry out 250 hours of community service.
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