Are unauthorised firesticks illegal: Halifax man jailed for selling modified firesticks

Sunny Kumar Kanda, 40 and of Creek View in Wheatley, sold the devices – which let users stream videos, play music and install apps on their TV – knowing that they provided unauthorised access to premium content from legitimate providers such as Sky, BT Sport, Disney+ and Netflix.

In August, Kanda pleaded guilty to three charges in violation of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and Fraud Act 2006 in relation to supplying and distributing the TV fire sticks and concealing bank transfers linked to criminal activity.

He has today been sentenced to two years in prison.

Over an 18-month period between 2020 and 2022, Kanda cheated legitimate providers out of over £108,000 by selling illegal fire sticks through a closed Facebook group that ended up with more than 3,900 members.

Originally named ‘KD Streams’ but later rebranded as ‘KD Media’, an undercover investigator from FACT joined the group and made a test purchase of the advertised fire stick.

After analysis, it was uncovered that the fire stick had been modified to provide unauthorised access to premium film, television, and live sports content using applications called The Vodfather XC and Plex.

The investigation was conducted by the National Trading Standards eCrime Team, hosted by City of York Council and North Yorkshire Council, working in partnership with intellectual property organisation, FACT.

A spokesperson for National Trading Standards said: “Accessing pirated content through illegal TV fire sticks undermines the UK’s entertainment industry, putting its talented workforce and supply chains at risk by depriving them of fair earnings and revenue. I

“It also puts consumers at risk by exposing them to illegal software that can put their data and bank details in jeopardy.

“Today’s sentence is an important reminder to all those who buy and sell TV firesticks that crime does not pay – it breaches copyright law and we encourage people to report suspected cases to the Citizens Advice consumer service.”

Kieron Sharp, CEO of FACT, said: “Illegal streaming isn’t a victimless crime. It weakens the creative industries, puts consumers at risk of data theft and often funds other serious crimes."