DISH lauds Hopper copyright victory
January 21, 2015
By Colin Mann
US pay-TV operator DISH has welcomed a judgement from the United States District Court, Central District of California which upholds the rights of consumers to use AutoHop, PrimeTime Anytime and Transfers Features. The decision is first to apply the US Supreme Court’s June 2014 opinion in Aereo to other technology.
The court’ summary judgement decision upheld the rights of consumers under US copyright law to use Slingbox technology and the AutoHop, PrimeTime Anytime and Transfers features of DISH’s Hopper Whole-Home HD DVR.
R. Stanton Dodge, DISH executive vice president and general counsel noted that the decision was the sixth in a string of victories in federal courts on both coasts for the American consumer related to DISH’s Hopper Whole-Home DVR platform. “We are proud to have stood by their side in this important fight over fundamental rights of consumer choice and control. DISH is pleased that the Court has again sided with consumers by issuing a summary judgement decision upholding their rights under US copyright law to use Slingbox technology and the AutoHop, PrimeTime Anytime and Transfers features of the Hopper Whole-Home HD DVR,” he stated.
“Consumers are the winners today, as the Court sided with them on the key copyright issues in this case. This decision has far reaching significance, because it is the first to apply the Supreme Court’s opinion in Aereo to other technology,” he advised, confirming that DISH would continue to “vigorously defend” consumers’ rights to choice and control over their viewing experience.
Slingbox technology, which is built into DISH’s second-generation Hopper Whole-Home DVR, provides a DISH customer, once they receive a television signal in their home, with the capability to remotely view that signal from a single Internet-connected device (mobile phone, tablet or PC). Slingbox technology has been available since 2005 and this action was the first to seek to enjoin it.
With the PrimeTime Anytime feature, users have the ability easily to record the primetime shows on up to each of the four broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) and save them for up to eight days. The AutoHop feature can be enabled by users to play back certain PrimeTime Anytime recordings commercial-free.
With the Transfers feature, a DISH customer can move or duplicate certain Hopper DVR recordings made by the customer to a mobile phone or tablet; and no Internet connection is needed for viewing.