Judge Laura Taylor Swain in Manhattan said Monday that she will make a decision within a week on Dish network's request to move the case brought by CBS, Fox and NBC against the satellite provider's ad-skipping technology from New York to Los Angeles.
Judge: Will Rule In Week On Auto Hop Venue
NEW YORK (AP) — A judge says she’ll rule within a week whether lawsuits by broadcasters against a service that offers commercial-free TV will be heard in Los Angeles or New York.
Lawyers for broadcasters including Fox, NBC and CBS urged Judge Laura Taylor Swain in Manhattan to move the case to Los Angeles. But a lawyer for satellite TV provider Dish says it belongs in New York, where Dish sued on May 24. Dish seeks a declaration it wasn’t violating copyrights with its AutoHop ad-skipping technology.
Broadcasters attorney Richard Stone told the judge lawsuits by broadcasters were filed in Los Angeles only minutes after Dish’s lawsuit. He says Dish can’t “deprive the natural plaintiffs whose rights have been violated from their choice of venue.”
Comments (2)
Gregg Palermo says:
July 3, 2012 at 11:02 am
Courts in LA are more likely to rule in favor of the entertainment industry. All of the litigants are headquartered in NY, so this should be an easy decision.
Kyle Moulder says:
July 5, 2012 at 11:36 pm
I agree that consumers should be allowed to pick out what they want to watch. Proposing to create a law that forces customers to watch commercials sounds as ridiculous as it looks written. I would watch commercials but most are uninteresting and with work at Dish I am always pressed for time. The Auto Hop feature has been a life saver for this season of Hell’s Kitchen. If it weren’t for my Hopper I would never be able to keep up.