Supreme Court decides against re-streaming service Aereo

A solid 6-3 majority of the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the well-funded video re-streaming start, Aereo, was in violation of U.S. copyright law. Aereo was backed by media mogul Barry Diller, and aimed to capture free over-the-air signals and then re-broadcast those shows on the Internet.

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer said in the majority opinion that Aereo exhibited an "overwhelming likeness" to cable companies – companies which are required by law to pay for content.

But the Supreme Court decision did not merely decide a case between two groups of billionaire media barons. It also affected thousands of jobs.

NABET-CWA President Jim Joyce said that, "Aereo sought to transmit copyrighted works to the public without payment of any license fees, threatening the core business model for television networks like ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX, where our members work. Our members' jobs depend on that current model, and these licensing fees help pay for their salaries and benefits."

Supreme Court Rules Aereo Violates Broadcasters' Copyrights (Wall St. Journal, Jun. 25, 2014)