Streaming copyrighted material for free on multimedia players such as Kodi is illegal, the European Court of Justice this week ruled. Downloading pirated copies of movies, music, and television shows has always constituted copyright infringement. However, streaming the same content was previously a legal grey area. That's because files that are stored temporarily – like those being created and constantly overwritten when streaming media content online – were technically exempt under copyright law. This loophole enabled those who sold set-top boxes, like those powered by the Kodi media player software, to promote the easy facilitation of piracy via streaming. But this week's landmark EU verdict means pirate streams are now on the same legal footing as illegal downloads.

GETTY • KODI The highest EU court has ruled that streaming on Kodi-powered boxes is illegal

Kodi guide - All the devices you own that can run this streaming app Thu, March 9, 2017 KODI is legal if used correctly and here's all the devices that can run this streaming software. Play slideshow PH 1 of 8 KODI GUIDE - which devices are compatible

The Court of Justice of the European Union has categorically ruled that the temporary reproduction of copyright-protected work – without the consent of the rights holder – cannot be deemed as exempt from "right of reproduction". In some case, it is perfectly legal to temporarily reproduce a copyrighted work. Although this is technically what a stream is doing, the EU court has ruled that piracy-friendly boxes do not meet the requirements for this exemption since their temporary transmissions hurt the copyright holder. Instead, those who stream content without the consent of the copyright holder are breaking the law – just as those who download the files. The ruling states, "The Court also finds that temporary acts of reproduction, on that multimedia player, of a copyright protected work obtained by streaming on a website belonging to a third party offering that work without the consent of the copyright holder, cannot be exempted from the right of reproduction." It adds: "Furthermore, acts of temporary reproduction, on the multimedia player in question, of copyright-protected works adversely affects the normal exploitation of those works and causes unreasonable prejudice to the legitimate interests of the copyright holders because it usually results in a diminution of the lawful transactions relating to those protected works."

GETTY The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that streaming content is illegal

Kodi is a neutral, open-source media player that can be installed on a broad range of devices – from discount set-top boxes powered by Android, to known brands, like Amazon Fire TV Stick. Kodi is completely legal. Although, it's worth checking to make sure that you do not violate the manufacturer's terms and conditions when installing the software onto their hardware. Playing video files that you own the copyright for via the Kodi media player is absolutely legal in the UK. However, Kodi has gained an unfortunate reputation thanks to the way some third-party developers use the platform – creating add-ons for the software which enable access to premium channels and copyrighted content for free. These third-party Kodi add-ons often share content uploaded, shared or streamed from other users across the globe. Smart set-top boxes, preinstalled with the Kodi media player and a whole host of these piracy-focused add-ons, are colloquially known as Kodi Boxes.

REVEALED: Most torrented shows on Pirate bay and Kickass Torrents Thu, January 19, 2017 THESE are the top 10 shows that have been illegally downloaded the most on torrent site such as the Pirate Bay and Kickass Torrents Play slideshow PH 1 of 10 NUMBER 10: The Grand Tour is number 10 in the most downloaded shows

It is these set-top boxes, pre-loaded with software designed to facilitate online piracy, which have recently been outlawed by Amazon and eBay. Some estimates currently place 20 million devices running Kodi in use in the UK at the moment. Last September, the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) branded the use of Kodi software to tune into pirated streams as an "epidemic". Kodi is not the only software that enables these types of "pirate" streaming devices – but it is one of the most well-known. On its website, Kodi is at pains to point out: "Kodi does not provide any media itself. Users must provide their own content or manually point Kodi to third party online services. "The Kodi project does not provide any support for bootleg video content."

KODI.TV Kodi can be installed on a range of popular hardware – from Android set-top boxes, to laptops

The foundation behind Kodi, which was previously known as XBMC, recently revealed plans to tackle the piracy that is so often linked with its open-source software. Project lead Martijn Kaijser said the team was looking to bring DRM to the platform. For those who don't know, Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a way to enable copyright protection for digital media. Enabling DRM on Kodi could encourage providers to bring their content to the Kodi platform without fear that it could be pirated, said Mr Kaijser. Bringing more legitimate sources of copyrighted content to the Kodi platform would also change the software's reputation.

Mr Kaijser told TorrentFreak, "Our platform has a lot of potential and we are looking into attracting more legal and official content providers. "Additionally, we’re looking into adding low-level DRM that would at least make it more feasible to gain trust from certain providers." XBMC Foundation President Nathan Betzen also spoke to the blog about the Kodi software's reputation. "There are rights-holders that know who we are and realise we are distinct from the 3rd party add-on crowd," he said. "And then there are the rights holders who have been successfully taken in by the propaganda, who write us very legal sounding letters because some random YouTuber or ‘news’ website described the author of a piracy add-on as a ‘Kodi developer’."