White House Takes Rare Step Of Requesting To Argue Directly Against Aereo Before Supreme Court

[dfergie]

This week, the Obama administration asked the court if it could argue its point of view directly before the Justices at the April 22 hearing on the case. While not unprecedented, the amicus curiae request is unusual and a sign of just how high the stakes are in the case between the broadcasters and the Barry Diller-backed streaming service.

deadline.com

 

[riffjim4069]

Nice! I can't stand copyright thievery and hope AEREO execs end up behind bars.

 

[navychop]

They're not thieving anything. They're bring them more viewers. They provide and antenna and a service.

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[TheKrell]

I often support our President, but this sucks.

 

[riffjim4069]

They're not thieving anything. They're bring them more viewers. They provide and antenna and a service.

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

The broadcasters think they're stealing, the Court thinks they're stealing, the U.S. Justice Department is presenting arguments that they're stealing and now the White House says AEREO is stealing. Sorry...they're stealing Kishka - somebody call a cop.

 

[riffjim4069]

I often support our President, but this sucks.

I find this to one of the few lucid thoughts our President has experienced during his tenure.

 

[mike123abc]

The broadcasters think they're stealing, the Court thinks they're stealing, the U.S. Justice Department is presenting arguments that they're stealing and now the White House says AEREO is stealing. Sorry...they're stealing Kishka - somebody call a cop.

Well only some courts, others think it is fair use... This is not a simple case.

 

[jayn_j]

The broadcasters think they're stealing, the Court thinks they're stealing, the U.S. Justice Department is presenting arguments that they're stealing and now the White House says AEREO is stealing. Sorry...they're stealing Kishka - somebody call a cop.

You have been very vocal on this. Curious what you see as the threat and also where you would draw the line?

Is putting an antenna on my roof stealing? On an apartment roof? on my neighbor's roof? On a roof on the top of a hill I owned with a microwave downlink? Basically, if I live in the DMA do I have any right to receive the signals that the broadcaster must provide?

Please elaborate, because frankly I simply see this scheme as a better antenna to receive signals from frequencies that the government has given the station in the public interest. You obviously see something that I don't.

 

[Mochuf]

The broadcasters think they're stealing, the Court thinks they're stealing, the U.S. Justice Department is presenting arguments that they're stealing and now the White House says AEREO is stealing. Sorry...they're stealing Kishka - somebody call a cop.

Isn't this the same administration that received a boatload of campaign contributions from industry executives? No conflict of interest there now.

 

[Kraven]

Nice! I can't stand copyright thievery and hope AEREO execs end up behind bars.

Am against piracy and all. But I really dont see what the problem is here. Please tell me if am off base, but Aereo just provides local OTA signals to those in its designated market. What about the people who cant get certain channels because they dont have a clear LOS...(ie-apartment/condo/townhouse dwellers)...areao is a a solution. More viewers = increased ratings = command more advertisement $$$.. seems like a win-win no?

IE- I dont get 1 OTA channel because of an adjacent channel despite having a clear LOS.

Cheers, K

 

[concord]

The broadcasters think they're stealing, the Court thinks they're stealing, the U.S. Justice Department is presenting arguments that they're stealing and now the White House says AEREO is stealing. Sorry...they're stealing Kishka - somebody call a cop.

Which "Court"? I thought they are wining/staying in some courts, but losing in others. That's why it's going up chain.

If a landlord, in a high-rise building, is willing to rent antennas, coax cabling and a dvr to each of his tenants, would you consider that stealing? Aereo is doing the same thing, but on a wider scale.

 

[Teehar]

How quaint of our leaders. A gazillion other things of way more importance,yet they want to stop Aereo?As the old saying goes...money talks.They are the very ones that forced the digital transition,pocketed money from spectrum gained,and thus causing more people to rely on paid tv services.Good job I must say.

 

[dfergie]

How quaint of our leaders. A gazillion other things of way more importance,yet they want to stop Aereo?As the old saying goes...money talks.They are the very ones that forced the digital transition,pocketed money from spectrum gained,and thus causing more people to rely on paid tv services.Good job I must say.

I was about to say the same thing... Aereo restores programming lost to many due to the digital transistion and the subsequent lining of pockets that occurred ...

 

[mike123abc]

How quaint of our leaders. A gazillion other things of way more importance,yet they want to stop Aereo?As the old saying goes...money talks.They are the very ones that forced the digital transition,pocketed money from spectrum gained,and thus causing more people to rely on paid tv services.Good job I must say.

How many TV stations are there and how many companies are involved? A huge number campaigning and contributing money to get their way with the government verses a single company. Is there any wonder why the government wants Aereo to lose?

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

The politicians have to be friends with the broadcasters, as if they are no then they are buried by the broadcasters and get no air time.

This is not stealing at all the customers live in the areas where they are supposed to get signal, its not like they are outside their market. The people are just rending an antenna which is for their own use, since it is a private antenna and no one else can access it and it is in the area where the signal is licensed it violates no ones copyright.