Source: Lexology.com by American Intellectual Property Law Ass’n (AIPLA) By: Attorneys James Rosenfeld & Eric Feder of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
As consumers increasingly obtain entertainment content on the Internet, media companies and technology start-ups are vying over models for the distribution of that content. This tension has spilled over into the courts, which must apply established copyright law to new technologies. In WNET v. Aereo, 712 F.3d 676 (2nd Cir. 2013), the 2nd Circuit affirmed the district court’s denial of a preliminary injunction which would have prohibited the defendant’s system from streaming unlicensed broadcast television signals over the Internet. The television broadcasters that brought the suit against Aereo have not been deterred, seeking en banc review of the Aereo decision and bringing suit against copycat services in other jurisdictions.