14 DAY TRIAL // Aereo Inc. can no longer stream live television to subscribers, after a judge granted TV networks a request for a temporary order to block the service in the entire country. The decision follows a ruling from the Supreme Court, which stated that the company’s activities were violating broadcasters’ copyrights.
US District Judge Alison Nathan from New York has decided to grant the TV networks’ request for the temporary order blocking Aereo nationwide, adding that it makes no difference whether a ban would harm the company, especially following the Supreme Court decision from several months ago.
“The Supreme Court has concluded that Aereo performs publicly when it retransmits plaintiffs’ content live over the Internet and thus infringes plaintiffs’ copyrighted works. In light of this conclusion, Aereo cannot claim harm from its inability to continue infringing plaintiffs’ copyrights,” the Judge says.
Furthermore, Aereo’s claim that the Supreme Court’s ruling from June means that it can continue to operate as a cable-TV provider has been dismissed. The company has said that it was entitled to a compulsory license to transmit program under the local copyright law.
Aereo's last options
This is yet another blow for Aereo, a company that allowed subscribers to view live TV as well as time-shifted streams of broadcast television shows on Internet-connected devices with the help of antennas that it rented out to people. The broadcast content was recorded to remote DVRs controlled by the subscribers.
Many saw Aereo’s business model as the future of television, since there’s the belief that not so many years from now we’ll all be watching TV on our computers only, with over-the-air broadcasters taking a second place.
Aereo is in a tight place right now, trying to find a way to continue operating, especially since it has plenty of financial backing. Earlier this month, the company asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to change the definition of a provider of video services to better fit today’s world. This would allow Aereo to resume operations because it would help the company, and any others following it, to seek out licenses and negotiate for rights to retransmit channels.
Unless it is allowed to operate as a cable-TV service, Aereo doesn’t believe it has a future. On the other hand, Judge Alison Nathan hasn't exactly ruled on the issue of Aereo’s DVR service, so there’s hope that the company could continue working in that direction. The judge has asked broadcasters for submission on the matter and will hand out a ruling at a later time.