End of free Kodi? Warning over attempts to cash in on TV player success

KODI is seeing its user numbers grow by the day but now the team behind the popular TV player are warning that trolls are cashing in on its success.

The Kodi online TV player has seen record growth over the past year.

More people than ever are switching to the free TV service with a recent study by YouGov suggesting that over five million Kodi-style boxes are already in UK homes.

This number is set to grow even further over the coming years especially as Kodi can be used to watch content that would usually need a premium subscription.

Kodi is totally legal but it does allow add-ons to be installed which can be used to watch sports, TV shows and movies illegally.

With its popularity growing, Kodi is now not only grabbing the attention of copyright holders, who want these illegal add-ons blocked, but also people trying to cash in by attempting to sell the free player.

In a recent blog post, Kodi has highlighted the issue with it revealing that “trademark trolls are attempted to register the Kodi name in various countries outside the United States with the goal of earning money off our name.”

Kodi is adamant that its player is free and will always be free but they say that these trademark trolls are attempting to put a stop this.

According to the blog, some people want to make it so that if you want to distribute Kodi you need to pay them a fee first - even though they have nothing to do with the official software.

Under Kodi's current terms any user can take a clean and untouched copy of the software and distribute it however they please.

This includes selling hardware with it installed or giving it away on USB sticks or online.

Kodi wants to keep it this way and is asking fans of the service to watch out for trolls attempting to make quick cash.

Speaking on its website Kodi said: “We ask that you be prepared for the future, as we move forward in defending the freedom of this software that we all take for granted.

“And if you happen to notice someone trademark trolling Kodi in your country, let us know.”

This latest issue for Kodi comes as the TV Player is suffering more pressure from governments, rights holders and ISPs.

A number of high profile add-ons have closed themselves down in recent months as the threat of legal pressure mounts.

The popular Navi-X service shut down earlier this year with the team saying in statement: "Every good thing must come to an end.

"After ten years of successful operation, Navi-X has sadly being discontinued.

"The main reason why the decision was made to discontinue the Navi-X service is the current legal climate surrounding Kodi.”

And the MetalKettle add-on, which has become hugely popular, revealed they simply don’t want to take the risk of facing legal action.

Speaking about the closure, MetalKettle said: “Over the past year or so Kodi has become more mainstream and public we’ve all seen the actions of others become highlighted legally, with authorities determined to target 3rd party addons making traction.

“This has eventually caused me to consider ‘what if?’ – the result of which never ends well in my mind,”

“With all this said I have decided to actively give up 3rd party addon development (at least for the time being) and concentrate on being a husband and father.”