Does lights out loom for Aereo? Federal judge nixes cable license, leaves door open on DVR service
Down but not yet out following an adverse U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this year, Aereo is still trying to find a way to provide free TV shows to viewers over the Internet without violating federal copyright law.
The nation’s top court in June nixed free real-time Internet streaming of network TV shows by Aereo to its customers and on Thursday, a federal district judge in Manhattan closed another door by ruling that Aereo is not entitled to be licensed as a cable television station, reports GigaOm. Courthouse News, Gizmodo and the Washington Post (reg. req.) also have stories.
While granting an injunction requested by major broadcasters, however, Judge Alison Nathan on Thursday declined to rule on whether a cloud DVR service offered by Aereo also must be enjoined. Using tiny cameras, the service records shows individually for customers to view at a later time.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Does Aereo’s Internet TV service violate network copyright? SCOTUS to decide”
ABAJournal.com: “Supreme Court dubious about Aereo’s low-cost TV, but wary that ruling could curtail cloud technology”
ABAJournal.com: “Aereo loses copyright challenge; its Internet TV service violates copyright law, SCOTUS says”
