Broadcasters Appeal Judge’s Refusal to Shut Down Aereo

A New York judge rejected the television companies' bid to serve Aereo with an injunction

A group of major broadcasters appealed a federal judge's refusal to serve Aereo, a television streaming service, with an injunction that would shut the startup down.

The broadcasters filed the appeal Thursday morning in New York to shut down Aereo pending a lawsuit. Brooklyn-based Aereo, which picked up broadcast signals and retransmits them live online, is backed by billionaire media mogul Barry Diller (pictured left), according to court documents obtained by TheWrap.

District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan had ruled on Wednesday that Aereo proved it would be harmed if the requested preliminary injunction were granted, despite the fact that the broadcasters demonstrated that they faced irreparable harm, according to court documents obtained by TheWrap.

Also read: Judge Rejects Broadcasters' Bid Against Barry Diller's Aereo (Updated)

In a statement issued after Wednesday's ruling, the television titans — including NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, PBS and Univision — said Aereo, which is only available in New York City, is stealing their content.

"Today's decision is a loss for the entire creative community," the statement said. "The judge has denied our request for preliminary relief — ruling that is OK to misappropriate copyrighted material and retransmit it without compensation."

Pamela Chelin contributed reporting.

 

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