Aereo Wants To Continue Operating After Huge Supreme Court Loss

Aereo Plans To Go On
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 22: Aereo Vice President of Communications and Government Relations Virginia Lam (R) turns down a question from a member of the media (L) as Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia (2nd L) leaves the U.S. Supreme Court after oral arguments April 22, 2014 in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court heard arguments in a case against Aereo on the companys profiting from rebroadcasting network TVs programs obtained from public airwaves. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 22: Aereo Vice President of Communications and Government Relations Virginia Lam (R) turns down a question from a member of the media (L) as Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia (2nd L) leaves the U.S. Supreme Court after oral arguments April 22, 2014 in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court heard arguments in a case against Aereo on the companys profiting from rebroadcasting network TVs programs obtained from public airwaves. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

(Reuters) - Aereo, the video streaming service which sought to provide an alternative to traditional television broadcasters, said it believes it can still operate despite a crippling U.S. Supreme Court ruling that caused the company to suspend service, according to a court filing on Wednesday.

The Supreme Court last month said Aereo violated copyright law by using tiny antennas to broadcast TV content online to paying subscribers.

The decision was a victory for traditional broadcasters, such as CBS Corp, Comcast Corp's NBC, Walt Disney Co's ABC, and Twenty-First Century Fox Inc's Fox.

After the ruling, Aereo announced that it was suspending service, and litigation in a related case involving the company resumed in a Manhattan federal court.

CBS argued in a joint filing on Wednesday that the case should be dismissed in light of the Supreme Court ruling, but Aereo disagreed.

"Although Aereo has temporarily suspended operations, Aereo believes that it can still operate in accordance with the terms of the Supreme Court's decision and intends to do so," Aereo wrote in the filing.

It is unclear from the filing how Aereo will operate, though the company argued it was entitled to a "compulsory license" to broadcasters' content.

Representatives for Aereo and CBS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Started in 2012 and backed by Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp, Aereo typically charged about $8 to $12 a month, and allowed users stream live broadcasts on mobile devices. Aereo did not pay the broadcasters.

The case in U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York is Aereo Inc vs. CBS Broadcasting Inc et al., 13-3013.

(Reporting by Dan Levine in San Francisco, editing by G Crosse)

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot