If you use Kodi to illegally stream TV shows, movies and sports games you could be in danger of facing up to ten years in prison.

The new law comes under the Digital Economy Act, which has received Royal Assent.

The Act covers a number of others areas including broadband speeds, access to online pornography and government data-sharing.

The Mirror reported that the law was passed through after a recommendation was put forward by the UK International Property Office (IPO).

The maximum prison term for copyright infringement has also been increased from two years to ten.

What does this mean for users?

Kieron Sharp, the CEO of FACT , told Mirror Tech that the copyright measures included in the bill are primarily targeted at those committing a serious offence. Anyone "making a business" out of selling illegal content could potentially face up to ten years rather than two in prison.

Those who casually stream a couple of movies every once in a while are extremely unlikely to be prosecuted to such extremes, he said.

"For minor matters, nothing changes," he said. "But it should hopefully provide a little bit of clarity."

What does the new law state?

Regardless of the practicalities of enforcing the bill, the Act does mean those using streaming services or torrents to watch copyrighted material are - under the letter of the law - criminals.

As the Open Rights Group notes, Clause 27 of the Act states that criminal liability is to be determined by "causing loss" and "risk of loss" to the owner of the copyright.

This is defined as failing to pay a licence fee. So ordinary people engaged in domestic "file sharing" on a non-commercial basis could potentially find themselves facing long jail sentences.

Kodi crackdown

Kodi is becoming a growing issue for broadcasters because it easily offers pirated content to its owners.

The police are trying to crackdown on people selling and distributing devices that are pre-packed with Kodi add-ons.

Selling devices that are loaded with add-ons is a breach of the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988.

In March 2016, Malcolm Mayes, from Hartlepool, was sentenced to ten months in prison (suspended for one year) and ordered to pay costs of £170,000.