By Brian Stelter, CNN
A huge win for the nation's biggest television broadcasters: in a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court said Wednesday that streaming television startup Aereo violates the Copyright Act.
Ever since Aereo was introduced in early 2012, its biggest financial backer, Barry Diller, has said that there is "no plan B" if the courts concluded that it was operating illegally.
Using thousands of miniature TV antennas, Aereo scoops up the freely available signals of local stations in cities like New York, Boston and Atlanta. It then delivers those signals to the smartphones, tablets or computers of paying subscribers.
Subscribers pick what to watch through a traditional on-screen guide. They can also record shows and stream them later.
FULL STORYBrian Stelter’s exclusive interview with IAC Chairman Barry Diller about this week’s arguments before the Supreme Court involving Aereo, in which Diller is an investor.
As his company prepares to go before the Supreme Court to fight for their existence, Aereo founder and CEO Chet Kanojia tells Brian Stelter why his streaming television service is legal.
By Brian Stelter, CNN Senior Media Correspondent
The Obama administration has sided with the nation's television broadcasters in a pending Supreme Court case against Aereo, the Internet service that scoops up freely available television signals and streams them to paying subscribers.
A joint filing by the Justice Department and the United States Copyright Office, made public on Monday, found that the Aereo "system is clearly infringing" and recommended that a lower court ruling in Aereo's favor be reversed. Such a ruling would likely put Aereo out of business and protect the broadcasters from similar challenges in the future.
Aereo declined to comment on the filing. Supreme Court oral arguments in the case are scheduled for April 22.
Read more of Brian's article here.
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