Streaming illegal, Kodi, and other Questions Answered

What is this post about?

Common questions answered regarding the illegality of streaming copyrighted material for free.

Who is this post for?

Mainly for viewers/readers in the EU, and Puerto Rico (as I have read are recently being affected), who stream movies and tv shows for free using apps such as Kodi or even from the internet on a computer. If there are any other countries, please let me know in the comments so I can update this post. Readers and viewers from the USA should always stay up to date on this information as they could just as easily follow in the footsteps.

Is Kodi illegal?

No. Kodi is a free and open source application that allows you to bring all your media together in one easy to use interface. Having Kodi installed on your device is not illegal. The only thing illegal is using third party add-ons inside of Kodi which facilitate the streaming of movies and tv shows. Such add-ons are Exodus, 1Channel, Navi-X, etc. There are a handful of add-ons for Kodi that are completely safe to use. One example would be the YouTube add-on.

Can I stream movies without Kodi?

The law applies to all streaming of copyrighted material done via the internet. Streaming movies outside of Kodi using a laptop is just the same as streaming the movie on Kodi.

*This does not apply to paid services such as Hulu or Netflix. Those are 100% legal.*

Can they really find out if I stream movies?

The short answer is yes. However, it is much more complex than that. It boils down to where you live in the world, and what rules are in place regarding internet privacy. A simple google search will let you know exactly what your ISP can and cannot do.

Will I go to jail for 10 years?

Don’t freak out! This question is better explained here – Torrent Freak Website

What do I do now?

I can’t tell you to stop or continue streaming copyrighted material for free. What I can tell you is to use at your own risk. So far I have not found any details about what consequences you would face if you continued to disobey the laws. Also to expand on the above point, so many people use Kodi that it would be difficult to catch everyone. Once again, use at your own risk.

Someone told me about VPN. What is it?

There are two types of VPN. One allows you to connect to your network no matter where you are in the world. The other encrypts your connection and provides you with an anonymous IP to protect your privacy.

Which one is the right one for me?

I assume your goal is to protect yourself from hackers, spying, data monitoring, and most importantly protecting your identity. If this applies to you, you want the second one listed above which encrypts your connection.

Where do I get one?

There are many services out there. I personally have only used one service and it has worked beautifully for the past 3 years. You can find out more information at their website by clicking the banner below.

How do I install it?

Because each service is different, it is impossible to provide a universal guide. Your best bet is to look for instructions on the website of the service you sign up for. If you are a more advanced user, you can install DD-WRT on a router such as Linksys WRT1200 or Linksys WRT1900 which I have personally configured myself. After doing so, you can configure your VPN service on the router, therefore, allowing an encrypted connection to all the devices in your household.

Feel free to leave any other questions down below and I will do my best to answer them!