With no less than the future of free, over-the-air TV at stake, Supreme Court justices expressed concerns about issuing a ruling that would have the unintended consequences of impacting cloud computing.
But they also queried both broadcasters and Aereo’s attorneys on why the startup should not be considered a cable service, with a full slate of legal requirements including payment of royalties and retransmission fees.
From oral arguments, it was hard to read exactly which direction the high court was moving, a notoriously unpredictable prospect in copyright cases. But the case undoubtedly touched a nerve in the entertainment industry, as an array of broadcast executives, copyright lawyers and tech advocates crowded the chambers. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg noted that Aereo is “the only player that is paying no royalties whatsoever” for broadcast content.
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