Judges: TV startup Aereo infringes copyright

An American start-up that allowed internet users to watch TV via a streaming portal is infringing the copyright of the TV channels. That has been ruled by the US Supreme Court in a case brought by the broadcasters.

Aereo used thousands of tiny antennas to pick up TV signals for its customers: one antenna for each customer. With that, each customer in effect rented an antenna to receive the TV signal, which is freely available on the air, was the legal argument of the start-up. The highest court in the United States, the Supreme Court, has put a line through that argument: according to the judges – who voted 6 to 3 in favor of the ruling – the start-up infringes copyright.

The court thus agrees with the reasoning of the TV channels, which complained that the start-up passed on their images to its subscribers without compensation. Under US copyright law, TV broadcasters have an exclusive right to transmit their programs through a “device or process.” Aereo can also be included in this, according to both the TV channels and the court.

Aereo currently costs $8 a month and is available in several major US cities, including New York. The court’s ruling casts doubt on the future of the start-up: it will have to pay license fees to stop violating the law.

The aerials of Aero