Fox denied preliminary injunction against DISH Network Hopper place shifting tech

Major television networks have been fighting DISH Network and the company's Hopper whole home DVR system since it launched. The Hopper whole home DVR system had some very interesting technology that allowed viewers to skip commercials during prime time shows and view live and recorded content outside of the home on smart devices. One of the first networks to step up and try to block some of this technology was Fox.Fox filed a lawsuit back in February in an attempt to ban Dish Network from being able to use the mobile live TV viewing feature. Dish Network announced this week that the United States District Court in the Central District of California has denied Fox's request for preliminary injunction against two of its place shifting features. The specific features from the Hopper whole home DVR platform are DISH Anywhere and Hopper Transfers.

The DISH Anywhere feature uses integrated Sling technology inside the DVR to allow viewers to receive a television signal in the home and view the signal from any Internet connected device outside the home. That means users can watch live television programming on mobile phones, tablets, and computers.

The injunction was also denied against the Hopper Transfers feature, which allows customers to move a copy of certain content from the DVR to an iPad. No Internet connection is required to view off-line content transferred via Hopper Transfers. Fox and other major television broadcasters are unlikely to give up and go home after this decision, I'm sure we can expect appeals and continued litigation.

DISH Executive Vice President and General Counsel R. Stanton Dodge said:

Today's decision is the fourth in a string of victories for consumers related to our HopperĀ® Whole-Home DVR platform. DISH is pleased that the Court has sided again with consumer choice and control by rejecting Fox's efforts to deny our customers' access to the DISH Anywhere and Hopper Transfers features. We will continue to vigorously defend consumers' right to choice and control over their viewing experience

SOURCE: DISH Network