Aereo Wins Court Battle Against TV Networks
It was announced today that start-up company Aereo, based in New York City, had a major victory in court when the Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a July 2012 ruling denying a preliminary injunction against Aereo. Aereo assigns each user a miniature TV antenna and stores them in its warehouse, which is close to a major tower. Each user can then use their assigned antenna to watch and record shows from major networks, such as CBS, NBC, FOX, and ABC. The National Association of Broadcasters, who was part of the lawsuit asserts that it will continue to draw lawsuits against Aereo, as it is “steal[ing] copyrighted material and retrans[mitting] it without compensation.”
The Aereo team is elated with the decision, publishing this statement from Chet Kanojia, founder and CEO of Aereo, on its blog:
“Today’s ruling to uphold Judge Nathan’s decision sends a powerful message that consumer access to free-‐to-‐air broadcast television is still meaningful in this country and that the promise and commitment made by the broadcasters to act in the public interest in exchange for the public’s spectrum, remains an important part of our American fabric.
“We may be a small start-up, but we’ve always believed in standing up and fighting for our consumers. We are grateful for the court’s thoughtful analysis and decision and we look forward to continuing to build a successful business that puts consumers first.”
-Chet Kanojia, Aereo Founder and CEO
Aereo is currently only for customers residing in New York City and the immediate surrounding tri-state area, but is soon expanding to 22 other cities across the United States, including Chicago, Denver, and Kansas City. The Aereo team has relayed that they were sued by the major networks the day they began services for customers, but continue to fight for affordable access to air-transmitted television networks.
If you are interested in Aereo, check out our complete Aereo review for everything you need to know about the company and how the service works.