WNET, THIRTEEN v. AEREO, INC.

Docket Nos. 12-2786-cv, 12-2807-cv.

712 F.3d 676 (2013)

WNET, THIRTEEN, Fox Television Stations, Inc., Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, WPIX, Inc., Univision Television Group, Inc., The Univision Network Limited Partnership, and Public Broadcasting Service, Plaintiffs-Counter-Defendants-Appellants, v. AEREO, INC., f/k/a Bamboom Labs, Inc., Defendant-Counter-Claimant-Appellee. American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., Disney Enterprises, Inc., CBS Broadcasting Inc., CBS Studios Inc., NBCUniversal Media, LLC, NBC Studios, LLC, Universal Network Television, LLC, Telemundo Network Group LLC, and WNJU-TV Broadcasting LLC, Plaintiffs-Counter-Defendants-Appellants, v. Aereo, Inc., Defendant-Counter-Claimant-Appellee.

United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit.

Decided: April 1, 2013.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Paul M. Smith , Steven B. Fabrizio , Scott B. Wilkens , Matthew E. Price , Jenner & Block LLP, Washington, DC; Richard L. Stone , Amy M. Gallegos , Jenner & Block LLP, Los Angeles, CA, for Plaintiffs-Appellants WNET, Thirteen, et al.

Bruce P. Keller , Jeffrey P. Cunard , Michael R. Potenza , Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, New York, NY, for Plaintiffs-Appellants Am. Broad. Cos., Inc., et al.

R. David Hosp , John C. Englander , Mark S. Puzella , Yvonne W. Chan , Erin M. Michael , Goodwin Procter LLP, Boston, MA; Michael S. Elkin , Thomas P. Lane , Winston & Strawn LLP, New York, NY; Seth D. Greenstein , Constantine Cannon LLP, Washington, DC; Jennifer A. Golinveaux , Winston & Strawn LLP, San Francisco, CA, for Defendant-Appellee.

Robert Alan Garrett , Lisa S. Blatt , Stephen M. Marsh , R. Stanton Jones , Arnold & Porter LLP, Washington, DC, for amici curiae National Basketball Association, NBA Media Ventures, LLC, NBA Properties, Inc., National Football League, National Hockey League, Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, and MLB Advanced Media, L.P. in support of Plaintiffs-Appellants.

Kelly M. Klaus , Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, Los Angeles, CA; Samantha Dulaney , I.A.T.S.E. In House Counsel, New York, NY; Duncan W. Crabtree-Ireland , Chief Administrative Officer & General Counsel, SAG-AFTRA, Los Angeles, CA; Anthony R. Segall , Rothner, Segall & Greenstone, Pasadena, CA; Susan Cleary , Vice President & General Counsel, Independent Film & Television Alliance, Los Angeles, CA, for amici curiae Paramount Pictures Corporation, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Directors Guild of America, Inc., Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada, AFL-CIO, CLC, Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Writers Guild of America, West, Inc., Independent Film & Television Alliance, Lions Gate Entertainment, Inc., and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. in support of Plaintiffs-Appellants.

Robert A. Long , Matthew S. DelNero , Daniel Kahn , Covington & Burling LLP, Washington, DC, for amici curiae The National Association of Broadcasters, The ABC Television Affiliates Association, The CBS Television Network Affiliates Association, The NBC Television Affiliates, and The Fox Television Affiliates Association in support of Plaintiffs-Appellants.

Jeffrey A. Lamken , Robert K. Kry , MoloLamken LLP, Washington, DC, for amicus curiae Cablevision Systems Corporation in support of Plaintiffs-Appellants.

Steven J. Metalitz , Eric J. Schwartz , J. Matthew Williams , Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP, Washington, DC; Paul V. LiCalsi , Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP, New York, NY, for amici curiae The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, Broadcast Music, Inc., The National Music Publishers Association, The Association of Independent Music Publishers, The Church Music Publishers Association, The Nashville Songwriters Association International, The Recording Industry Association of America, the Recording Academy, SESAC, Inc., The Society of Composers & Lyricists, The Songwriters Guild of America, Inc., and Soundexchange, Inc., in support of Plaintiffs-Appellants.

Ralph Oman , The George Washington University Law School, Washington, DC, for amicus curiae Ralph Oman, Former Register of Copyrights of the United States in support of Plaintiffs-Appellants.

Jonathan Band , Jonathan Band PLLC, Washington, DC, for amici curiae The Computer & Communications Industry Association and The Internet Association in support of Defendant-Appellee.

Michael C. Rakower , Law Office of Michael C. Rakower, P.C., New York, NY, for amici curiae Intellectual Property and Copyright Law Professors in support of Defendant-Appellee.

Mitchell L. Stoltz , Electronic Frontier Foundation, San Francisco, CA; Sherin Siy , John Bergmayer , Public Knowledge, Washington, DC; Michael Petricone , Consumer Electronics Association, Arlington, VA, for amici curiae The Electronic Frontier Foundation, Public Knowledge, and The Consumer Electronics Association in support of Defendant-Appellee.

Peter Jaszi , Kate Collins , Seth O. Dennis , Sarah K. Leggin , Bijan Madhani , American University Washington College of Law, Washington, DC, for amici curiae The Consumer Federation of America and Consumers Union in support of Defendant-Appellee.

Judge CHIN dissents in a separate opinion.


DRONEY, Circuit Judge:

Aereo, Inc. ("Aereo") enables its subscribers to watch broadcast television programs over the internet for a monthly fee. Two groups of plaintiffs, holders of copyrights in programs broadcast on network television, filed copyright infringement actions against Aereo in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. They moved for a preliminary injunction barring Aereo from transmitting programs to its subscribers while...

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