Aereo will not fight broadcasters’ motion to have the Supreme Court hear their case against the streaming company.
The New York-based company uses millions of tiny antennae to stream broadcasters’ signals to the computers and other devices of subscribers. Broadcasters say that it stealing, and have sued in several venues. In October they asked the Supreme Court to hear their case, in hopes of shutting Aereo down nationally.
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In a statement Thursday, founder and CEO Chet Kanojia said he hoped the Supreme Court would decided the case on its merits. The court has not yet decided whether it will hear the networks’ case.
“While the law is clear and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and two different federal courts have ruled in favor of Aereo, broadcasters appear determined to keep litigating the same issues against Aereo in every jurisdiction that we enter. We want this resolved on the merits rather than through a wasteful war of attrition,” he said.
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“Consumers have the right to use an antenna to access the over-the-air television. It is a right that should be protected and preserved and in fact, has been protected for generations by Congress. Eliminating a consumer’s right to take advantage of innovation with respect to antenna technology would disenfranchise millions of Americans in cities and rural towns across the country,” he added.
Aereo has continued expanding from its home city, New York, even as it fights the networks on several fronts. It most recently announced it will be available in the Baltimore market, beginning Monday.
The service is also available in Boston, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Miami, Dallas, Houston, Detroit, and Denver, and plans to expand to several other cities in the near future.