Court decisions upholding Aereo’s ability to stream copyrighted...
Court decisions upholding Aereo’s ability to stream copyrighted content “cannot be squared with the language, structure, and legislative intent of the Copyright Act,” said the NFL and Major League Baseball in an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court…
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Wednesday in support of broadcasters’ cert petition against Aereo. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision denying a preliminary injunction against Aereo was a “significant legal shift” that should occur “at the direction of Congress, not a split panel of the 2nd Circuit,” said the leagues. Though some observers have said the multiple ongoing lawsuits involving Aereo and competitor FilmOn X mean it’s unlikely the Supreme Court would pick up the case anytime soon, the amicus brief made the opposite argument. The multiple pending cases illustrate that the “legal, practical, and international implications of the decision” are “exceedingly pressing and important,” said the leagues, urging the court to take the case. “The Copyright Act reflects Congress’ judgment that it is inequitable for commercial broadcast retransmission services to profit from selling access to copyrighted programming without compensating those who create that programming at great expense, effort, and risk,” said the brief.