Broadcasters and Aereo are going to have to wait a little longer for a Supreme Court resolution of Aereo’s legal status.
The Supreme Court on Thursday issued three opinions, but none on broadcast issues.
That means that a decision on Aereo will come either next week or on June 30, the last day the court issues opinions for the current term. There earliest an Aereo decision can be issued by the high court is now Monday.
See video: Barry Diller: Shutting Down Aereo Would Have ‘Profound Effect’ on Technology
Broadcasters and Aereo have been awaiting for the Supreme Court to decide whether Aereo airing of broadcast signals on the Web is legal or a violation of either copyright or retransmission laws.
Aereo, using thousands of tiny antennas in antenna farms, picks up broadcast signals and transmits those signals over the air to subscribers without paying broadcasters.
It argues that the transmissions are legal because every one of its subscriber has his own antenna.
Broadcasters argue Aereo is engaged in illegal transmission and its service violates copyright laws.
The fight has major implications to the broadcast industry, which has been relying on fees from cable systems for retransmission of broadcast signals to bolster advertising revenues. A Supreme Court decision that Aereo’s service is legal could jeopardize those fees.
