Two Aereo Lawsuits Filed By Broadcasters For Providing HD Antenna Content Via Internet Connections
Aereo is a unique startup that pulls HDTV broadcasts from local broadcast TV providers and then allows subscribers to watch those already free channels via the company’s streaming service. Now several broadcast networks have filed lawsuits against Aereo, asking a judge to block the service before it’s made available to the publc.
Two separate lawsuits have been filed by television station owners that broadcast in the New York City area where the product was first introduced. The first lawsuit includes affiliates from CW, Fox, PBS and Univision, while the second lawsuit includes ABC, CBS and NBC affiliates.
Using the service users would be able to watch broadcast television stations in high definition via internet connections, connecting users to the company’s own dedicated antenna instead of redistributing and sharing the signal from various antennas. The tuners however are located in centralized data centers.
Another company recently tried a similar tactic, that company Zediva tried to offer a DVD streaming service that relied on clusters of DVD players located inside data centers. As customers would rent DVD’s employees would place those DVD’s in a DVD player and allow users to stream those discs to their computers. A judge overseeing the Zediva case disagreed with the practice and ordered a permanent injunction.
In responding to both lawsuits Aereo claimed that it “does not believe that the broadcasters’ position has any merit.”
Do you think Aereo is violating any current federal and state regulations regarding copyright or should it be allowed to broadcast already free TV signals via the internet in real-time?
