Court Backs Comcast In DIRECTV HD Suit
An Illinois court issues an injunction to stop the satcaster from running certain ads.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (August 17, 2007) -- A U.S. district court has approved Comcast request's for an injunction blocking DIRECTV from airing TV commercials saying TV installers prefer the satcaster's HDTV picture.
In its filing, Comcast accused DIRECTV of 'outrageous conduct" for running the installer ad, although the satcaster says it's discontinued the campaign. Comcast says the ad is false because the survey of installers was unscientific and misreported.
The court today also rejected DIRECTV's motion for an injunction to stop Comcast from running ads saying its high-def picture quality is better than satellite.
"We’re pleased that the Court has issued an injunction ordering DIRECTV, its affiliates and resellers, to immediately stop airing the false and misleading ads claiming superior picture quality over cable," Comcast said in a statement following the court ruling. "The Court’s order confirms, once again, that DIRECTV's claims are unsubstantiated and based on flawed and unreliable studies."
Comcast continued: "At the same time, the Court denied DIRECTV's motion against Comcast, enabling Comcast to continue airing our ads which show that consumers, including satellite customers, prefer Comcast’s HD picture quality over DIRECTV's. We applaud the Court’s clear and decisive rulings which will protect consumers from being exposed to DIRECTV's unfair and misleading ads, and support Comcast’s claims.”
DIRECTV today issued its response through a spokesman:
"We are quite perplexed by the court's conclusions. The facts simply don't support these decisions. We will appeal these rulings and are confident we will ultimately prevail. At the end of the day, though, it's the customers who matter, and they've shown their preference for DIRECTV over cable in both the recent ACSI and J.D. Power rankings. Those two studies speak for themselves."
Despite the injunction decisions, the case is not over and could still go to trial
An Illinois court issues an injunction to stop the satcaster from running certain ads.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (August 17, 2007) -- A U.S. district court has approved Comcast request's for an injunction blocking DIRECTV from airing TV commercials saying TV installers prefer the satcaster's HDTV picture.
In its filing, Comcast accused DIRECTV of 'outrageous conduct" for running the installer ad, although the satcaster says it's discontinued the campaign. Comcast says the ad is false because the survey of installers was unscientific and misreported.
The court today also rejected DIRECTV's motion for an injunction to stop Comcast from running ads saying its high-def picture quality is better than satellite.
"We’re pleased that the Court has issued an injunction ordering DIRECTV, its affiliates and resellers, to immediately stop airing the false and misleading ads claiming superior picture quality over cable," Comcast said in a statement following the court ruling. "The Court’s order confirms, once again, that DIRECTV's claims are unsubstantiated and based on flawed and unreliable studies."
Comcast continued: "At the same time, the Court denied DIRECTV's motion against Comcast, enabling Comcast to continue airing our ads which show that consumers, including satellite customers, prefer Comcast’s HD picture quality over DIRECTV's. We applaud the Court’s clear and decisive rulings which will protect consumers from being exposed to DIRECTV's unfair and misleading ads, and support Comcast’s claims.”
DIRECTV today issued its response through a spokesman:
"We are quite perplexed by the court's conclusions. The facts simply don't support these decisions. We will appeal these rulings and are confident we will ultimately prevail. At the end of the day, though, it's the customers who matter, and they've shown their preference for DIRECTV over cable in both the recent ACSI and J.D. Power rankings. Those two studies speak for themselves."
Despite the injunction decisions, the case is not over and could still go to trial
