Kodi Box fans have been warned that apps for illegally streaming movies, TV shows and Premier League football could get deleted from their devices remotely.
The Kodi surge continues without any sign of stopping, as users continue to ditch paid TV services for the online player.
Research has suggested Kodi – which offers access to thousands of channels – is being used in more than five million UK homes.
Kodi software is not illegal, but developers can produce third-party add-ons that provide free access to pirated and illegal content.
These apps allow users to stream premium content, like paid-for sports and movie channels for free.
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The illegal add-ons are being targeted by ISPs, government agencies, broadcasters and rights holders.
And now major Hollywood heavyweights have secured a huge blow against those who illegally stream copyrighted material.
TickBox TV is a popular streaming set-top box, powered by the Kodi media player.
But according to Hollywood studios, the Georgia-based company includes instructions for a number of Kodi add-ons that enable users to stream paid-for content for free.
Much of this paid-for content is generated by the likes of Disney, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros, Amazon, Netflix – which are all part of the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment.
The ACE last year filed a lawsuit against TickBox TV, claiming these set-top boxes are nothing more than piracy tools, allowing buyers to stream copyright-infringing content.
Last month a Californian federal court issued an injection ordering TickBox to keep pirate add-ons out of their devices.
The court also ordered both parties to come up with a solution together for set-top boxes that had already been sold.
The ACE wanted TickBox to remove infringing add-ons from previously sold devices. And this week both parties have reached an agreement on the issue.
A preliminary injunction has been drafted which replaces the previous order, and will be in effect for the remainder of the lawsuit.
TickBox are now prevented from linking to a “build”, “theme”, “app” or “add-on” that can be indirectly used to transmit material that infringes copyright.
They must also release a new software update that will remove any infringing software from previously sold devices, TorrentFreak reported.
The injunction said: “TickBox shall issue an update to the TickBox launcher software to be automatically downloaded and installed onto any previously distributed TickBox TV device and to be launched when such device connects to the internet.
“Upon being launched, the update will delete the Subject [infringing] Software downloaded onto the device prior to the update, or otherwise cause the TickBox TV device to be unable to access any Subject Software downloaded onto or accessed via that device prior to the update.”
Tiles that link to copyright-infringing software will also have to be removed from TickBox’s home screen.
The agreement also means if the ACE report a newly discovered infringing app or add-on TickBox have to remove it within 24 hours.
The ACE have also filed a similar lawsuit against Dragon Box, a set-top box that makes use of Kodi add-ons.
The complaint alleges Dragon Box advertised the product as a way for users to avoid paying for authorised subscription services.
It quotes marketing material that encourages users to “Get rid of your premium channels … [and] Stop paying for Netflix and Hulu.”
The set-top box costs around £255 and is in over a quarter million homes in the US.