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People who misuse Kodi will be targeted by piracy fighters, a report has suggested.

Those who misuse the service - and other set-top box software - will find themselves at the middle of a new battle against piracy.

The widespread emergence of Kodi - or certainly those who use it illegally - is now the top priority for rights-holders, it has emerged.

The boxes have proved a huge hit with people desperate to watch PPV events, movies - and even the top football matches of the week, on the cheap.

But, worryingly for users, a trader is being hauled to court in a landmark case over their legality.

The Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact) said about half of its current investigations concerned the devices.

It said boxes configured to receive premium content for free were illegal.

The statements were made in the annual crime report of the government's intellectual property office (IPO).

(Image: Daniel Law/PA Wire)

Fact said set-top boxes configured to receive premium content for free were "an emerging threat to the audiovisual industry".

"This is becoming an epidemic," Kieron Sharp, director general of Fact, told the BBC.

"If you are not paying for Sky, BT or one of the pay-TV providers for your subscription channels, you are clearly in possession of an illegal box."

(Image: Martyn Landi/PA Wire)

The IPO said the increased availability of such devices presented a "significant challenge".

"We are aware that set-top boxes, while perfectly legal in their own right, are frequently adapted by criminals to illegally receive TV channels protected by intellectual property rights," a spokesman told the BBC.

"The government is working with its partners in industry and with police forces across the country to target criminals looking to profit from this activity.

"We are also working closely with our international partners to target the cross-border infrastructure that underpins illegal streaming."