Did you get a new Kodi box as a Christmas present?
The Android boxes have been popular with people wanting to watch PPV (Pay-per-view) films and live sport, including Premier League football, on the cheap.
However, it turns out there is confusion surrounding the legality of devices, and it depends how they’re used.
People are now wondering if the boxes will be legal for much longer.
Are they legal now?
It is a grey area.
The problem with Kodi is that, although it utilises legal and easy-to-use software, it can also be used for illegal streaming.
Put simply: Kodi, and boxes with Kodi installed, are perfectly legal. The problem arises when the Kodi app is used to illegally stream subscription content.
The confusion around the legality of the boxes is so great that it could take a court case involving a man called Brian Thompson from Middlesbrough to help settle it.
He’s thought to be the first man brought to court to face allegations of selling pre-loaded Kodi or Android boxes. The boxes allow you to watch and stream offline and online content.
The boxes themselves are, effectively, legal. But the problem is with pre-loaded or altered boxes to watch PPV content, like Sky Sports or films currently in the cinema.
That, say prosecutors, is illegal.
So when will we know?
Thompson entered not guilty pleas at court and a trial is expected to start before a judge on May 8.
But even if he loses the trial, Brian has already said he intends to fight any decision - even hinting he could take the fight to Europe.
That could result in a lengthy court process which could drag out a definitive ruling on the devices.
Are there any similar cases?
One has just finished, and resulted in one man receiving a four year jail sentence for conspiracy to defraud.
In what was first to be the first sentencing of its kind, Terry O’Reilly was handed the tough term for selling over 1,000 boxes to pubs, who used them to illegally stream Premier League football.
Following the result, Premier League Director of Legal Services Kevin Plumb said: “The courts have provided a clear message: this is against the law and selling systems which allow people to watch unauthorised Premier League broadcasts is a form of mass piracy and is sufficiently serious to warrant a custodial sentence.
“There can now be no doubt for consumers that these systems are illegal.”
Are they still on sale?
Yes. Until the court cases have gone through it is likely they will still be sold on the high street.
What’s happening in the pubs?
In October, bosses at a pub in Middlesbrough called the Navigation were fined £8,000 after being caught streaming matches through a Kodi box.
