EFF Joins Locast Defense Team

[NYDutch]

"EFF Joins Locast Defense Team to Fight for TV Viewers’ Right to Use Free, Legal Streaming Service"

"San Francisco—The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today joined the legal team defending Sports Fans Coalition NY, Inc. (SFCNY), the nonprofit organization that runs Locast, a free, local TV streaming service facing bogus copyright infringement claims by broadcast giants ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox."

EFF Joins Locast Defense Team to Fight for TV Viewers’ Right to Use Free, Legal Streaming Service

 

[Wescopc]

This is great news - I think they are on excellent legal ground and need to win this fight!

 

[907TECH]

Locast will lose. The loophole will be closed.

 

[NYDutch]

Locast will lose. The loophole will be closed.

I wonder how many other non-profit OTA repeaters would also be shut down if Congress changed the law to eliminate the non-profit copyright exemption? It'll be interesting to see if the networks or the voters win this one...

 

[907TECH]

There are big differences between the Locast business model and the original non profit repeater operators. The FCC will likely reword the regs to separate the two. All personal opinion, I have my popcorn too...

 

[NYDutch]

There are big differences between the Locast business model and the original non profit repeater operators. The FCC will likely reword the regs to separate the two. All personal opinion, I have my popcorn too...

It's not an FCC reg that's at issue, it's a federal law: 17 U.S. Code § 111 (a)(5) to be exact. It will take an act of Congress to change it...

 

[907TECH]

At any rate, lobbying pressure and the lawsuit outcomes will probably shut Locast down and I am sure the FCC will have a part in it, one way or another.

 

[ncted]

At any rate, lobbying pressure and the lawsuit outcomes will probably shut Locast down and I am sure the FCC will have a part in it, one way or another.

Nothing like living in a corporatocracy!

 

[NYDutch]

At any rate, lobbying pressure and the lawsuit outcomes will probably shut Locast down and I am sure the FCC will have a part in it, one way or another.

I'm pulling for Locast of course, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out. With the EFF onboard, at least Locast has more experienced firepower on their side than they could likely afford on their own.

 

[MartyDe]

This sounds a lot like Aereo which tried something like this in the NYC area, about 2012. Supreme court finally shot them down.

 

[Bobby]

This sounds a lot like Aereo which tried something like this in the NYC area, about 2012. Supreme court finally shot them down.

Not quite the same. Aereo was not a non-profit.

 

[mwdxer1]

The broadcasters make so much money off re-transmission fees that they will fight this to the end. If it wasn't for the FCC rule that OTA stay free, there would be a charge for OTA.

 

[ncted]

This sounds a lot like Aereo which tried something like this in the NYC area, about 2012. Supreme court finally shot them down.

It sounds similar, but is very different in key ways. I'd say it has a 50/50 chance of surviving SCOTUS.

 

[Wescopc]

Read the PDF of their legal case - they have done their homework.