Filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit urging the court to overturn a district court decision in Fox Television Stations, Inc. v. Aereokiller, LLC, which would allow FilmOnX (Aereokiller) to qualify for a compulsory license under Section 111 of the Copyright Act.  The brief noted that Congress [...]

Filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court, in a case that could have disastrous consequences for the U.S. broadcasting industry.  The Institute filed a brief in American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. v. Aereo, Inc., arguing that Aereo's model for distributing broadcast content to its subscribers violates broadcasters' rights under copyright law and is merely a blatant [...]

Filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the Court to grant a writ of certiorari from petitioners in American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. v. Aereo, Inc.  The brief argues that Aereo's bizarre scheme of using thousands of tiny antennas to retransmit broadcast content to its subscribers amounts to "manipulative technological exploitation."  The [...]

Filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Fox Television Stations, Inc. v. Aereokiller, LLC, urging the court to affirm injunctive relief for broadcasters.  Aereokiller employs a technological scheme to retransmit protected broadcast content to its subscribers in an attempt to circumvent licensing fees.  The brief, written [...]

Filed a friend-of-the court brief, joining with The Thomas Jefferson Center, in the U.S. Supreme Court in FCC v. Fox Television Stations, Inc.  The brief argued that the Supreme Court should invalidate its decision in FCC v. Pacifica (the “seven dirty words” case) because Pacifica impermissibly created a novel category of unprotected speech; Pacifica’s [...]

Joined with 21 other media organizations in filing an amicus curiae brief before the U.S. Supreme Court in Snyder v. Phelps.  The brief argued that media outlets cannot be silenced or held liable for reporting hateful or disturbing speech.  Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church had tried to harass Snyder and other military families [...]

Filed comments with the FCC in its proceeding “Examination of the Future of Media and Information Needs of Communities in a Digital Age.”  The comments stated: “As the Commission assesses proposals to ensure the future of media in this proceeding, we urge that it keep firmly in mind the following 45 words:”  This cautionary [...]