There are reports that some Internet Service Providers (ISP) are starting to issue Copyright Infringement Notices to Kodi Users

The reports say that some Kodi users who use Kodi to stream content have received copyright infringement notifications from the contents rights holders. One user had been streaming the latest Mad Max Fury Road movie, and received a copyright infringement notifications referring to the time he was streaming the movie on Kodi.

This is not your ISP monitoring your usage. The content owners monitor and record your IP address. From there they use an agreement they have with the ISPs to request that a copyright notice is sent to the offending customer.

Many of Kodi’s unofficial add-ons use peer-to-peer streaming that does not hide your IP as you are both downloading the file you are streaming and sharing it with other users who want to watch the same show as you watch the show. Often users of these 3rd party unofficial add-ons are unaware they re-sharing the file in a similar way to how Bittorrent works.

So, if you are using some of the Kodi unofficial add-ons to stream movies and TV shows, you may soon see a copyright infringement alert pop up or receive an email warning you to stop.

Claims from content owners can take a month or longer to reach the end users. Lawsuits can take much longer, so the question is are we at the start of a new copyright lawsuit war?

What is KODI?

Kodi is a free, open-source media player software that allows users to play and view videos, music, podcasts, and other digital media files across various devices. Originally developed for the Xbox, it has since evolved to support multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Android, and Linux. Kodi is highly customizable with a range of add-ons, skins, and plugins that extend its functionality, allowing users to stream content from online sources or manage their local media libraries. Although legal to use, Kodi can be modified with third-party add-ons that provide unauthorized access to copyrighted content, leading to controversy around its use.