Aereo Calls for U.S Supreme Court to Review Copyright Lawsuit

Aereo is calling for the U.S. Supreme Court to review a copyright lawsuit filed by other broadcasting networks.

On a Reuters report, the New-York based technology company that lets subscribers stream and watch live TV shows using the Internet supported by Barry Diller, is facing challenges as rival broadcasting networks including ABC, NBC Universal, 21st Century Fox and Walt Disney want to have it shut down after it allegedly violated copyrights.

On Thursday, in a document file in the court, the company said that though rulings in the lower court favored their party, the highest court in the U.S. should still review the case and confirm those rulings.

Aereo said that the Supreme Court should confirm the principle that, in the moment broadcasters have transmitted content, "consumers have a right to receive and to view that programming using an antenna and to copy that programming for their personal use."

Aereo’s publication came at the same day when Cablevision Systems Corp said that the legal theory brought by broadcasters to the Supreme Court would cause nuisance for the company and terrorize Cablevision’s ability to offer DVR to its customers.

The broadcasting industry is monitoring the case strongly to see if it could disrupt the conventional TV model because Aereo is considered a threat because of it ask for subscription fees and collect advertising income – two main sources of their profits.

All the broadcasting companies involved refused to comment on the result of the legal proceedings.

The subscribers of the Internet TV startup can watch live broadcasts of TV Channels on mobile devices through the use of mini antennas at $12 monthly in the City of New York. Since its launch in March 2012, it has already expanded to 10 cities and proposes to expand more in 2014.

While pay-TV operators like Cablevision and Comcast pay billions in retransmission consent fees to broadcasters, Aereo does not.