Fox suing another TV streaming service
updated 03:04 pm EDT, Sun August 12, 2012
BarryDriller.com now in network crosshairs
Even as broadcast companies battle streaming service Aereo in court over copyright infringement, other similar services are popping up; and Fox is now suing yet another company that streams its broadcasts to mobile devices. BarryDriller.com, playfully named after Barry Diller, TV mogul and Aereo investor, operates in a manner similar to Aereo but is available in more markets. As GigaOm reports, though, the new service appears willing to negotiate with the broadcasters,
BarryDriller is available to users in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis/St. Paul zip codes. The site charges users $5.95 a month and supplies personal antennas allowing subscribers to "scan the airwaves and tune the antenna to receive whichever broadcast station signal the subscriber chooses." The provision of an antenna marks a difference between BarryDriller and Aereo, as the latter transmits directly to Apple products.
BarryDriller representatives have intimated that they are willing to make deals with broadcasters. The company says it can offer broadcasters a retransmission fee similar to the one cable operators pay.
That offer, though, is apparently insufficient for Fox. The broadcaster filed suit against the service on Friday, alleging that BarryDriller's operations constitute a violation of the fundamental principle of copyright law.
