TV-Streaming Company Aereo Now Claims That it Too is a Cable Provider

Earlier this week, tv-streaming company Aereo, which recently found itself being deemed illegal by the United States Supreme Court, filed a letter with a New York district court indicating that the company now considers itself a cable provider.

And what’s their reasoning? Well, they believe they shouldn’t have to stop delivering their unique service to customers because, if they can legally obtain the proper license, they’re entitled to the same protection as other providers that pay royalty fees.

This is not the company’s first backup plan to prevent disintegration though, as just one week ago Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia called upon his faithful subscribers to petition lawmakers to change existing copyright laws, the ones threatening the future of Aereo and its antenna-based tv-streaming network.

So, this is a backup plan for the backup plan. A Plan C, if you will.

But Plan C is not without merit, as it’s at least attempting to use the ruling against it as a mechanic for its own success. Namely, the Supreme Court ruled that Aereo was equivalent as a service provider, not just an equipment provider. So, ergo, Aereo has some rights.

“The Supreme Court’s holding that Aereo is a cable system under the Copyright Act is significant because, as a cable system, Aereo is now entitled to the benefits of the copyright statutory license pursuant to the Copyright Act,” the company’s lawyers said in their letter to the lower court’s judge.

“Aereo is proceeding to file the necessary statements of account and royalty fees.”

But whether the lawyers on both sides of the case will concur or not remains to be seen.

To learn more about the case against Aereo, check out our previous coverage.

Source: [Hollywood Reporter via Tech Crunch]