Update: Aereo has announced that it won't oppose broadcasters' petition to the Supreme Court, saying the collection appears "determined to keep litigating the same issues against Aereo in every jurisdiction we enter."
"We want this resolved on the merits rather than through a wasteful war of attrition," Aereo founder and CEO Chet Kanojia said in a statement.
He cited the Second Circuit's 2008 Cablevision decision, a ruling that allowed many of the cloud-based services we have today to operate and one Kanojia thinks broadcasters are fighting a proxy war with Aereo over.
Broadcasters, Kanojia said, are trying to keep consumers from using more modern antenna and DVR systems "by trying to prevent a consumer's access to these technologies via the cloud."
"Consumers have the right to use an antenna to access over-the-air television," he continued.
Aereo is "unwavering in our belief that Aereo's technology falls squarely within the law," and wants the Supreme Court to to take up the case, a decision that won't come until 2014.
Original article from October 11...
Aereo started from the bottom now it's here - facing a Supreme Court petition from major U.S. broadcasters seeking to shut it down.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Fox, ABC, NBC and CBS petitioned the highest court in the land today, hoping the nine justices take up their case and halt the TV-over-internet service.
The broadcasters are appealing a lower court's decision not to put a stop to Aereo's activities, a decision they say "is already transforming the industry and threatening the very fundamentals of broadcast television."
The Supreme Court doesn't have to take the case, leaving legal battles to lower courts where Aereo has already seen success. If it does decide to step in, the high court's decision would have significant implications for the future of over-the-web TV, cable companies themselves and consumers.
Aereo showdown
We've asked Aereo for comment on the broadcasters' petition and were sent this statement from Virgina Lam, spokesperson for Aereo: "We will respond, as appropriate, in due course."
Boning up on the legalese, it would seem.
The company has made headlines this year as it expanded its service to more markets. Aereo re-transmits local TV programming to customers who pay $8/month. Users can watch shows on their mobile devices or computers, and the company plans to launch an Android app on Oct. 22.
Aereo transmits programs without permission from broadcasters.
Broadcasters argue Aereo is violating their copyrights, and legal experts contend that if another case against FilmOn X, a similar service, ends in a decision against the TV streamer, the Supreme Court may be more inclined to pick up the Aereo case.
We'll continue to follow all of Aereo's developments, so tune back in for more.
