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Broadcasters are taking online TV service Aereo back to court

Published Jan 10th, 2014 4:09PM EST
Aereo Broadcasting Companies Lawsuit Appeal

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Despite a flurry of lawsuits, streaming television service Aereo is still online — but broadcasting companies aren’t done fighting quite yet. Bloomberg reports that the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal by several media companies (the list includes ABC, 21st Century Fox, NBCUniversal and CBS) that are determined to prove that Aereo is bad for the industry and that it violates copyright laws. The broadcasters believe that Aereo’s service has created a blueprint that, if followed by other pay TV companies, would allow cable providers to avoid paying licensing fees that are expected to total more than $4 billion in 2014.

The appeal states that the court’s decision to allow Aereo to continue its operation “is already transforming the industry and threatening the very fundamentals of broadcast television.” Aereo, on the other hand, believes that the constant threat of legal action has “created uncertainty that undermines Aereo’s efforts to expand its footprint and further develop its business.”

In other words, this fight is far from over.

Jacob Siegal
Jacob Siegal Associate Editor

Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.