“The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that online TV service Aereo, backed by media mogul Barry Diller, violates copyright law by using tiny antennas to provide subscribers with broadcast network content via the Internet,” CNBC reports. “On a 6-3 vote, the court handed a victory to the four major TV broadcasters and cast Aereo’s immediate future into doubt.”
“Aereo CEO and founder Chet Kanojia said in a statement that the decision was ‘a massive setback for the American consumer,'” CNBC reports. “Networks involved in the case praised the ruling. The National Association of Broadcasters commended the Supreme Court for upholding ‘the concept of copyright protection that is enshrined in the Constitution.’ ‘Aereo characterized our lawsuit as an attack on innovation; that claim is demonstrably false,’ NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith said in a statement. ‘Today’s decision sends an unmistakable message that businesses built on the theft of copyrighted material will not be tolerated.'”
“Major Aereo investor Diller told CNBC that ‘We did try, but it’s over now,'” CNBC reports. “‘It’s not a big [financial] loss for us, but I do believe blocking this technology is a big loss for consumers, and beyond that I only salute Chet Kanojia and his band of Aereo’lers for fighting the good fight,’ he said… Aereo, backed by Diller’s IAC/InterActiveCorp, charged users a low monthly fee to watch live or recorded broadcast TV channels on computers or mobile devices. Aereo did not pay the broadcasters. Any customer can buy an antenna and DVR for their home and watch and record their local channels, said Kanojia—adding that his company is doing the same thing but with more modern technology.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]
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