A U.S. District Court Judge refuses to grant the network's request for a preliminary injunction against the satellite broadcaster's ad-skipping digital video recorder.
- November 8, 2012
AceShowbiz -
Dish has claimed a victory in a court battle against FOX over its ad-skipping features. On Wednesday, November 7, U.S. District Court Judge Dolly Gee in Los Angeles denied the network's request for a preliminary injunction to block the satellite broadcaster's AutoHop and PrimeTime Anytime services.
However, Dish is not completely freed of the case. According to FOX, Judge Gee said that she would entertain theories proposed by the network that AutoHop violated copyright infringement.
"Today's ruling is a victory for common sense and customer choice," Dish Executive Vice President and General Counsel Stanton Dodge said in a statement following the ruling, which hasn't been released to public. "Dish is gratified that the court has sided with consumer choice and control."
FOX, meanwhile, stated, "We are gratified the court found the copies Dish makes for its AutoHop service constitute copyright infringement and breach the parties' contract." It added, "DISH is marketing and benefitting from an unauthorized VOD service that illegally copies Fox's valuable programming."
However, the network said that it's "disappointed the court erred in finding that FOX's damages were not suitable for a preliminary injunction." The network plans to appeal the judge's denial of their request for a preliminary injunction.
FOX isn't the only one which has filed lawsuit against Dish to block its ad-skipping features. Two other broadcast networks, CBS and NBC, also filed their lawsuits against the company separately in California in May.
