Controversial broadcast TV streaming company Aereo has been getting into a lot of trouble with TV networks and is set to appear in front of the US Supreme Court next week. Ahead of its opening arguments, the company has launched a site to explain its reasoning behind why its service is legitimate and why it believes it is being sued.
Aereo is an online subscription based service that provides broadcast network TV to users without kicking back to the TV networks. It uses an array of tiny antennas to scoop up broadcasts and beam them to paying customers (along with full cloud DVR functionality), which according to the networks is flat out copyright infringement.
Aereo feels that users have "had a fundamental right to watch over-the-air broadcast television via an individual antenna," along with the right to copy it for quite some time. "Broadcasters should not be able to use the Courts to drive forward what they believe are their most lucrative business models," Aereo's arguments on the new site read. "The broadcasters are asking the Court to deny consumers the ability to use the cloud to access a more modern-day television antenna and DVR in order to protect what they believe are their most lucrative business models."
The idea here is that everyone is allowed to capture over-the-air broadcast TV for free using an antenna, and Aereo simply provides a modern day version of such an antenna with its miniature, individualized array systems. Each customer is assigned a mini antenna, in which they can watch and store broadcasts. The networks argue that there is no real difference between Aereo's model in terms of performance compared to a cable or satellite provider that actually pays for content.
Along with Aereo's arguments, there is also a cache of briefs pertinent to the case at the "Protect My Antenna" site. Aereo and the networks are set to appear in front of the US Supreme Court on Tuesday, April 22.