If variety and quality of entertainment are important to you, then you’ve probably bought or at least heard about the Amazon Fire TV Stick device and Kodi. Combined, these two can turn any home entertainment system into an all-in-one content behemoth. Why? Because Kodi provides you with a constantly updated content organization system. On the other hand, the Amazon Firestick is a streaming device that allows you to enjoy Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Netflix and more under one roof.
Kodi currently has 40 million users worldwide, while Amazon boasts sales of 65 million Firestick devices.
Privacy Issues
Let’s face it, we all love freebies or at the very least massive discounts. Although Kodi and Amazon Firestick offer convenient entertainment solutions, they also open up a possibility for foul play.
Unfortunately, both of these platforms are quite easy to convert into piracy havens. Not only that but neither platform has taken a strong stance against the illegal activities perpetuated through their services. Both Amazon and Kodi have kept mum on the proliferation of unit sales and download figures.
Plus, Amazon and Kodi legal issues aren’t getting any better, as shown by the 2017 panel discussion hosted by the Copyright Alliance. According to speakers at this discussion, over 70% of Kodi’s registered users have used piracy addons on the app.
Amazon Fire TV Stick, on the other hand, has made it to the annals of urban vernacular. Instead of “Netflix and Chill”, millennials now speak of “Firestick that sh*t.” This refers to downloading illegal content and watching it on your TV thanks to Firestick’s flexibility.
The piracy level is fast approaching Popcorn Time levels. “Firestick that sh*t” has become such a pervasive part of popular culture that even celebrities like 50 Cent and Jamie Foxx have taken to uttering this phrase when roasting poorly performing films.
User Trap
With Firestick and Kodi making it very easy to access and consume pirated content, it’s easy for the average consumer to participate in the phenomenon. After all, if movie stars and celebrities are condoning it, then it can’t be all that bad, right?
The problem gets worse when you consider that most of these illegal addons and apps are sold from seemingly reliable platforms like eBay. In fact, it’s not uncommon to come across a “Fully Loaded” Kodi box on eBay. This refers to a “Kodi box” that comes pre-loaded with the latest movie releases and access to TV channels and apps. You would normally have to pay a subscription for these.
Likewise, there’s a wide variety of subreddits that teach people how to acquire “free” content on an Amazon Fire TV Stick and Kodi combo. Then there are IPTV forums that sell $5 monthly subscriptions in exchange for an endless content stream. Meanwhile, the Kodi Repository offers addons that provide all types of content.
Although pervasive and at its peak, Amazon and Kodi legal issues are not here to stay. Thanks to the concerted efforts by legal authorities and industry stakeholders, abusers will be investigated.
What’s Legal on Kodi and Amazon Fire TV?
Here’s an outline of what legal content looks like on Kodi and Amazon Firestick.
First of all, it’s important to acknowledge that Kodi is totally legal. It’s completely legal to sideload Kodi to your Amazon Firestick or use the Kodi app.
Not only that, but all of the add-ons featured in Kodi’s official repository are totally legal. Kodi’s repository comes with great apps like Bravo, ABC Family, ESPN, BBC iPlayer, PlayStation Vue and lots more.
But, just because an app is featured in the Amazon App Store or Kodi repository doesn’t mean that it originates from an official content creator like BBC iPlayer. So long as the content is found within one of these legal platforms, it’s totally legal to watch and acquire. The only limitations you might face to watching said content are geo-restrictions that may apply to your location. Otherwise, if you have legit credentials then you should be able to access all the addons and apps within official Kodi’s repository.
Speaking of which, geo-blocking is often the cause of all these piracy problems. When people can’t watch certain content because it’s available only to a specific region, they will often look for other (read: illegal) ways to access it. But this doesn’t have to be the case. So long as you use a virtual private network (VPN), you shouldn’t have a problem with geo-blocking. We highly recommend IPVanish for this purpose because they have thousands of servers across 60 countries. This means you can totally hide your IP address from your government and your ISP. And you will never have to deal with geo-blocking or data throttling again.
What is Illegal?
Most of the illegal content you find on Amazon Firestick and Kodi come from third-party addons and apps.
For instance, “fully loaded” Kodi boxes typically come with content that’s sourced from third-party addons. The crazy thing here is that you can easily and legally access that content directly from the Kodi repository.
Also, most people should know by now that a box that comes with pre-loaded Hollywood movie releases and live sports streaming for a small fraction of what you’d pay for each is a rip-off. This is clearly an illegal practice.
It’s worth mentioning here that IPTV providers play an important part in this. With IPTV doing so well, there’s a whole new section of “providers” who offer M3U playlists and private apps for Kodi and Amazon. Needless to say, none of these are legal and it’s up to you as a consumer to vote with your dollar.
Have You Ever Used Illegal Apps and Add-Ons?
Clearly, there are quite a few Kodi legal issues that consumers need to avoid. This is to stay in the straight and narrow.
Of course, this is easier said than done. The organization of pirated content has become so sophisticated that it’s often difficult to distinguish it from the real thing.
For the best results, be sure to purchase a real Amazon Fire TV Stick from the source (Amazon). You can also get your Kodi app straight from the Kodi website. This way you’ll find lots of useful instructions and info on how to maximize its use.
To dispel all fears, we recommend that you use a VPN.
Have you ever been duped into buying illegal content? Share your Kodi legal issues with us in the comments section below!
