Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Supreme Court Grants <i>Cert</i> in <i>Aereo</i> Case

By J. Alexander Lawrence, David S. Brown
February 28, 2014

On Jan. 10, 2014, the Supreme Court granted the petition for a writ of certiorari filed by the major broadcast networks, as well as other copyright holders, requesting that it overturn a Second Circuit decision regarding whether Aereo Inc., which “streams” broadcast television over the internet to subscribers without paying any retransmission fees, infringes those broadcasters' copyrights. ABC v. Aereo, Inc., 187 L. Ed. 2d 702 (U.S. 2014). [Editor's Note: The SCOTUS blog has a page with the latest developments on the case, at http://bit.ly/1k7h2bo.] Along with the Supreme Court's decisions in Sony Corp. v. Universal City Studios, Inc., 464 U.S. 417 (1984) and MGM Studios Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd., 545 U.S. 913 (2005), Aereo may turn out to be one of the most important copyright decisions since enactment of the Copyright Act of 1976, with potential wide-ranging ramifications for the television industry and the fast-growing cloud computing industry.

What Aereo Does

Aereo provides a cloud-based service that enables its subscribers to watch or record, via broadband Internet access, television broadcast programming that would otherwise be available over-the-air using an antenna. For example, Aereo offers New York City residents access to the more than two dozen digital broadcast channels available in New York City with an antenna, including each of the major networks, and various independent networks.

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright Laws Image

This article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.

The Article 8 Opt In Image

The Article 8 opt-in election adds an additional layer of complexity to the already labyrinthine rules governing perfection of security interests under the UCC. A lender that is unaware of the nuances created by the opt in (may find its security interest vulnerable to being primed by another party that has taken steps to perfect in a superior manner under the circumstances.

Strategy vs. Tactics: Two Sides of a Difficult Coin Image

With each successive large-scale cyber attack, it is slowly becoming clear that ransomware attacks are targeting the critical infrastructure of the most powerful country on the planet. Understanding the strategy, and tactics of our opponents, as well as the strategy and the tactics we implement as a response are vital to victory.

Legal Possession: What Does It Mean? Image

Possession of real property is a matter of physical fact. Having the right or legal entitlement to possession is not "possession," possession is "the fact of having or holding property in one's power." That power means having physical dominion and control over the property.

The Anti-Assignment Override Provisions Image

UCC Sections 9406(d) and 9408(a) are one of the most powerful, yet least understood, sections of the Uniform Commercial Code. On their face, they appear to override anti-assignment provisions in agreements that would limit the grant of a security interest. But do these sections really work?