Justice Department Petitions Supreme Court Against Aereo

Aereo, which is facing an upcoming battle in Supreme Court and was recently told to shut down service in Utah and Colorado, has a new enemy in its midst: the Department of Justice. In an amicus filed with the Supreme Court today, the Justice Department asked that Aereo's streak of good luck be reversed.

Joining the ranks of broadcasters petitioning against Aereo, the Department of Justice says the television streaming service violates broadcasters' copyrights, and as such, following a lengthy look at copyright law, the DoJ says "the judgement of the court of appeals should be reversed."

According to the Justice Department, Aereo is giving consumers access to copyrighted content, and doing so without forking over fees to broadcasters. The filing touches on things like cloud computing and "innovative technologies" when addressing the Supreme Court.

In recent times, and perhaps foreshadowing how the Supreme Court will handle the matter, a U.S. District Court in Utah ruled against the service, forcing it to shut down in Utah and nearby Colorado, a preliminary injunction that was sought by broadcasters. The ruling judge in the matter said that "Aereo is engaging in copyright infringement" in reference to the 1976 Copyright Act.

VIA: GigaOm

SOURCE: Re/code