Aereo welcomes Supreme Court battle

Online TV service Aereo has said it will not fight the bid by US broadcasters including ABC and NBCUniversal (NBCU) to take their copyright battle to the Supreme Court.

Aereo’s streaming service allows subscribers in nine US cities to watch TV channels on mobile devices using a personal antenna but does not pay licensing fees to broadcasters, unlike pay TV operators like Cablevision and Comcast.

Broadcasters have been attempting to close down the service, which launched in March 2012, as they argue it breaks US copyright laws and affects their ability to charge retransmission fees to cable and satellite providers.

Aereo, which is backed by former Fox Broadcasting CEO Barry Diller, said that its service is delayed and is for private home use, and therefore does not violate the Copyright Act.

The streaming firm has already won its case in lower US courts, but broadcasters including NBCU, Fox and Disney then petitioned to have the case reviewed by the Supreme Court, claiming that their business models are under threat.

Aereo founder and CEO Chet Kanojia has now said his firm will not oppose that review, adding in a statement that it wants the matter “resolved on the merits rather than through a wasteful war of attrition.”

“While the law is clear and the second circuit court of appeals and two different federal courts have ruled in favour of Aereo, broadcasters appear determined to keep litigating the same issues against Aereo in every jurisdiction that we enter,” he added.

The Supreme Court will now decide whether to hear the case, with a decision not expected until next year.

Aereo had previously been involved in a legal wrangle with CBS, which accused the system of stealing its signal.

FilmOnX, which offers a similar service to Aereo, was recently blocked from operating in California after a district court ruled against the firm. FilmOnX is now appealing.