Fox moves to use Aereo ruling against Dish streaming service

[Hurmoth]

Fox moves to use Aereo ruling against Dish streaming service

 

A day after a surprise US supreme court decision to outlaw streaming TV service Aereo, US broadcaster Fox has moved to use the ruling to clamp down on another internet TV service.

 

Fox has cited Wednesday?s ruling ? which found Aereo to be operating illegally ? to bolster its claim against a service offered by Dish, America?s third largest pay TV service, which streams live TV programming over the internet to its subscribers and allows them to copy programmes onto tablet computers for viewing outside the home.

 

The move has fueled criticism of Wednesday?s ruling from groups that have argued the decision will limit consumer choice, hand more power to broadcasters and stifle innovation.

 

Immediately after Wednesday?s ruling, Fox?s legal team submitted the supreme court?s Aereo decision to bolster its case against Dish. Oral arguments in the case are scheduled before the ninth circuit court of appeals on 7 July in Pasadena, California.

 

Dish and Fox have clashed over several services offered by the satellite TV provider including Hopper, a service that allowed customers to record all of a prime time broadcasters schedule and AutoHop, which allowed them to skip all of a broadcaster's ads.

 

The ninth circuit denied Fox?s attempts to close down Hopper in 2013 and refused to rehear the case in January this year. Fox will challenge that decision at an oral hearing in Pasadena.

 

The clash centres on Dish?s Dish Anywhere streaming service and its Hopper DVR ?sideloading? feature. Dish Anywhere allows customers to watch live TV or the content of their DVR on mobile devices, laptops and desktop computers. The sideloading feature allows content from a DVR to be transferred to an iPad. Dish uses technology developed by Slingbox, which makes devices that allow customers to remotely stream their TV service. Slingbox is owned by Dish?s former parent company and current technology partner EchoStar.

 

Fox?s lawyers believe the Aereo ruling strengthens their case against Dish. In a letter to the court Richard Stone, partner at Jenner & Block, wrote that the supreme court had ruled Aereo?s service constitutes an ?unauthorized public performance of Fox?s copyrighted works.?

 

?Dish, which engages in virtually identical conduct when it streams Fox?s programming to Dish subscribers over the internet ? albeit also in violation of an express contractual prohibition ? has repeatedly raised the same defenses as Aereo which have now been rejected by the supreme court,? he wrote.

 

Stone highlighted that the court had specifically rejected Aereo?s assertion that it is ?merely and equipment provider? and that Aereo?s subscribers were the ones transmitting content.

 

The supreme court decision was praised by broadcasters who argue that Aereo undermined their business and would force them to introduce a paywall for their channels. The major broadcaster receives hundreds of millions of dollars per month in retransmission fees from cable companies for their channels whereas Aereo was retransmitting them for free.

 

But consumer groups attacked the decision. Gene Kimmelman, president and CEO at Public Knowledge, which had submitted a brief with the court in favour of Aereo, said: ?It is very unfortunate for consumers that the supreme court has ruled against Aereo, which has provided an innovative service that brings consumers more choices, more control over their programming, and lower prices."

 

"We're concerned that the court's misreading of the law leaves consumers beholden to dominant entertainment and cable companies that constantly raise prices and gouge consumers.

 

"This decision, endangering a competitive choice for consumers, makes it all the more important for the Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission to guard against anti-competitive consolidation, such as the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger."

 

Jason Buckweitz, associate director for the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information, said the Dish case had many differences to Aereo, not least that Dish has a license to broadcast Fox and is not just taking its programming. But he said the Aereo case was likely to be cited by broadcasters looking to reach better terms or shut down new services they believe harm their businesses.

 

?They do not want to let go of what works for them,? he said. ?What?s sad is that the brakes are going to be put on innovation. Do you want to be a company that tries new things or do you want to play it safe??

 

He said the 6-3 ruling by the supreme court was likely to embolden broadcasters just as it would scare off innovations. ?Broadcasters now have every incentive to litigate everything,? he said.

 

Fox declined to comment. Dish did not return calls for comment.

 

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/jun/26/fox-aereo-ruling-against-dish-streaming

 

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[Veiva]

Instead of advancing with the times, technological antiques, such as cable networks, see the need to squash innovation. I don't see why cable TV is still a thing.

[Mr. Gibs]

Instead of advancing with the times, technological antiques, such as cable networks, see the need to squash innovation. I don't see why cable TV is still a thing.

Because the FCC is in bed with the cable companies. Nothing is going to change until we break that loving bond that they have AND break up the companies to stop them getting around laws by calling themselves media providers instead of ISPs.

For years now the FCC has done nothing and let companies like Verizon and Comcast get ridiculous large and monopolistic and this is the end result.

[Hurmoth]

Instead of advancing with the times, technological antiques, such as cable networks, see the need to squash innovation. I don't see why cable TV is still a thing.

Sad, but true. The networks don't care about innovation or the customer, they care about $$$ and right now, there's so much money in advertising that any threat to their current business model makes them incredibly angry and want to fight.

 

 

Because the FCC is in bed with the cable companies. Nothing is going to change until we break that loving bond that they have AND break up the companies to stop them getting around laws by calling themselves media providers instead of ISPs.

 

Yup. The FCC Chairman is a former cable industry lobbyist, so not shocked they're in bed with the cable companies and other media types.

[Max Norris]

Yea, some of us actually don't want satellite though, thanks. Had it, didn't care for it. Thanks for wanting less choices though.

[macoman]

Instead of advancing with the times, technological antiques, such as cable networks, see the need to squash innovation. I don't see why cable TV is still a thing.

The problem is useless laws that should be update it with the time has been kept and companies like Fox and other broadcasters are trying to exploit this vulnerability against consumers

[Hurmoth]

Yea, some of us actually don't want satellite though, thanks. Had it, didn't care for it. Thanks for wanting less choices though.

What? What does that have to do with this article? :blink: 

[Max Norris]

What? What does that have to do with this article? :blink:

I don't know, how about asking the people on the anti-cable crusade above my message?

[Hurmoth]

I don't know, how about asking the people on the anti-cable crusade above my message?

I'm still lost with what this has to do with Fox suing Dish over a technology they use in their set-top boxes?

 

I suppose my question is, do you support Dish or Fox in this suit or are you just making a random comment that you don't like satellite TV?

[Max Norris]

I suppose my question is, do you support Dish or Fox in this suit or are you just making a random comment that you don't like satellite TV?

Jesus just scroll up. "I don't see why cable TV is still a thing." "they're in bed with the cable companies" and so on. I comment that I'd rather have my cable and suddenly everyone forgets what they just said?

[ATLien_0]

I'm still a little confused on the merits of this lawsuit. How does this differ from normal DVR usage

[Veiva]

Jesus just scroll up. "I don't see why cable TV is still a thing." "they're in bed with the cable companies" and so on. I comment that I'd rather have my cable and suddenly everyone forgets what they just said?

Perhaps I should rephrase my statement: I don't see why TV is still a thing. It doesn't matter, cable or satellite. I don't see the amusement in paying exorbitant prices for programming you have little choice in. The industry needs to adapt to the internet.

[Hurmoth]

Jesus just scroll up. "I don't see why cable TV is still a thing." "they're in bed with the cable companies" and so on. I comment that I'd rather have my cable and suddenly everyone forgets what they just said?

That still doesn't have anything to do with this thread. Who is in bed with cable companies? You aren't posting anything clear for me to be able to understand what you're saying.

 

Are you talking about the FCC?

 

[edit] Now it makes a little more sense to me, but it still doesn't have anything to do with Fox suing Dish though. But now I get it.

[Max Norris]

That still doesn't have anything to do with this thread. Who is in bed with cable companies? You aren't posting anything clear for me to be able to understand what you're saying.

Yup. The FCC Chairman is a former cable industry lobbyist, so not shocked they're in bed with the cable companies and other media types.

Aaaaand I'm out. Comon man you just wrote this a few minutes ago.

[Hurmoth]

I'm still a little confused on the merits of this lawsuit. How does this differ from normal DVR usage

Because it allows ad skipping, auto ad skipping, and the networks don't like that. Here's how it works: http://dvr.about.com/od/satellitedvrs/a/Dish-Network-Allows-Limited-Commercial-Skipping-With-Auto-Hop.htm

 

The networks don't like that because it limits the eyeballs that see the ads, which in turn, limits how much they can charge for the ad time. It is the automatic feature I believe that they don't like though. I agree with you though, it really isn't any different than me picking the remote up and fast forwarding through the ads.

[techbeck]

Cable TV is a waste of money.  I would be more for packages of stations you can subscribe to and stream online.  That way, you can pick a few networks you want to watch without having to pay for every other network you do not watch.

[Hurmoth]

Aaaaand I'm out. Comon man you just wrote this a few minutes ago.

Your original comment is what threw me because it didn't quote anything: "Yea, some of us actually don't want satellite though, thanks. Had it, didn't care for it. Thanks for wanting less choices though."

 

It was two thoughts thrown together without any context to the subject at hand. Forgive me for being thrown off by it :rolleyes: 

[ATLien_0]

Because it allows ad skipping, auto ad skipping, and the networks don't like that. Here's how it works: http://dvr.about.com/od/satellitedvrs/a/Dish-Network-Allows-Limited-Commercial-Skipping-With-Auto-Hop.htm

 

The networks don't like that because it limits the eyeballs that see the ads, which in turn, limits how much they can charge for the ad time. It is the automatic feature I believe that they don't like though. I agree with you though, it really isn't any different than me picking the remote up and fast forwarding through the ads.

Exactly I thought the whole point of a DVR was that I could skip commercials whether its automatic or manual. 

I mean for instance, I can record a show on my comcast dvr and manually fast forward the commercials, or I could watch it on demand and not be allowed to skip the commercials. 

[Nogib]

The more broadcasters fight, the more I continue to rely on (and swear by) torrents of TV shows.  I'd like to hope that these companies realize they just drive consumers like me to piracy but they are so blinded by their crusade that they miss that completely.

[Hurmoth]

The more broadcasters fight, the more I continue to rely on (and swear by) torrents of TV shows.  I'd like to hope that these companies realize they just drive consumers like me to piracy but they are so blinded by their crusade that they miss that completely.

I agree completely.

 

The media moguls don't get it at all. In fact, that's why I suppose these emerging technologies and companies like Aereo. They are pushing an industry, kicking and screaming like an eight year old brat, into the 21st Century.

 

It is ridiculous that ABC had online streaming of Lost back in 2006 (2008?) and no advancement has been made since.

 

Look at the joke that Hulu is. Aereo is what Hulu should have been from the start. I remember one time trying to watch House, a free show on Hulu, but because I had Hulu Plus, I couldn't watch it, I had to log out of Hulu Plus to watch the free show. On what planet does that make sense? (That issue may be fixed now, I haven't even bothered with Hulu since then.)

[Argi]

Exactly I thought the whole point of a DVR was that I could skip commercials whether its automatic or manual. 

I mean for instance, I can record a show on my comcast dvr and manually fast forward the commercials, or I could watch it on demand and not be allowed to skip the commercials. 

 

But you're paying extra to your cable company for that DVR.  I was expecting to get one when I signed up with Comcast but they just gave me a super simple cable box and wanted more for it.  

[ATLien_0]

I agree completely.

 

The media moguls don't get it at all. In fact, that's why I suppose these emerging technologies and companies like Aereo. They are pushing an industry, kicking and screaming like an eight year old brat, into the 21st Century.

 

It is ridiculous that ABC had online streaming of Lost back in 2006 (2008?) and no advancement has been made since.

 

Look at the joke that Hulu is. Aereo is what Hulu should have been from the start. I remember one time trying to watch House, a free show on Hulu, but because I had Hulu Plus, I couldn't watch it, I had to log out of Hulu Plus to watch the free show. On what planet does that make sense? (That issue may be fixed now, I haven't even bothered with Hulu since then.)

Hulu is even worse now, I re signed up for a free trial. Hulu free is now just trailers and clips, Hulu plus is all the full episodes which still have ads

[macoman]

Hulu is even worse now, I re signed up for a free trial. Hulu free is now just trailers and clips, Hulu plus is all the full episodes which still have ads

That's why I closed my Hulu account, it was just ads everywhere. Netflix does not have that kind of business practice and is much more enjoyable.

[Hum]

I sometimes think Fox needs to go out of business.