The Morning After: Locast’s local TV streaming service loses legal protections

Locast, a company that claimed to improve access to local TV stations for people who can’t get the signal via traditional means, has been dealt a blow by a New York Court. It lost a courtroom battle with CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox, which said the company was violating copyright. Deadline reports the group’s request for summary judgment was granted, and it couldn’t use its non-profit status as a defense against further action.
The nonprofit streaming service is funded in part by AT&T Inc and Dish Network Corp, and the lawsuit said the service helped AT&T and Dish avoid paying to carry broadcast content.
It all echoes 2014 when broadcasters accused Aereo of copyright infringement. Aereo rented physical antennas that offered local channels and a cloud DVR service that streamed to smartphones, tablets and PCs. Broadcasters and the federal government claimed it was a violation of copyright law, as it technically rebroadcast content from the airwaves. Aereo was forced to pay broadcasters $950,000.
Oh, and it’s worth noting, as the lawsuit continues, that Locast’s founder, David Goodfriend, conceived the service after Aereo was forced to close.
— Mat Smith
SpaceX says Amazon is trying to delay Starlink because it can't compete
Fights in space!
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Amazon last week urged the FCC to reject SpaceX's proposal for Starlink, claiming it broke the agency's rules by offering two separate configurations for its satellite internet.
Google is reportedly making its own ARM-based Chromebook processors
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Samsung's Neo QLED 4K TVs now come in very large (and very small) sizes
You can also get an 85-inch version of The Frame.
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Locast, a company that claimed to improve access to local TV stations for people who can’t get the signal via traditional means, has been dealt a blow by a New York Court. It lost a courtroom battle with CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox, which said the company was violating copyright.…
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