Judge grants injunction to keep ivi TV from streaming station signals without consent

A New York U.S. District Court judge today (Feb. 22) granted a preliminary injunction blocking ivi TV from streaming signals from TV stations without their consent. More than 20 broadcasters, including WNET/Thirteen, PBS and WGBH, had filed suit against the Seattle firm, which charges subscribers for retransmission (Current, Oct. 4, 2010) and insists that is permitted because ivi is a type of cable system. Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald said ivi was "extraordinarily unlikely" to be deemed a cable system under copyright law, and that it was posing that harm to broadcasters' business. Todd Weaver, ivi's c.e.o., released a statement that said in part, “This fight is for the people and their right to choice and control over their own entertainment – and it will continue. The oppressive big media networks must open their doors to innovators or they will inevitably fall. People want responsible choice, not the one-size-fits-all television offerings imposed by powerful media interests.” He said ivi will continue to operate during its appeal.