Aereo Pleads For Mercy, Says They're "Bleeding To Death"

"The company is figuratively bleeding to death." That was how Aereo described themselves to the US District Court in Manhattan in a filing late last night. The company, recently dealt a death-blow by the Supreme Court, is hemorrhaging cash, and wants the courts to allow them to operate like a cable company.

Aereo's service was put on ice in late June when the Supreme Court ruled their cloud storage of TV programming violated copyright laws. Aereo's contention was that individual viewers were responsible for what was and wasn't captured or watched, and Aereo was simply providing a service.

In response to the ruling, Aereo immediately halted their service and filed for a license to operate as a cable service — a seemingly quick fix to their bigger issue. The Supreme Court didn't agree with Aereo on that plan, either, and denied them immediate cable status.

A Federal Appeals Court refused to grant Aereo's subsequent injunction for cable company status, positing that Aereo may not have even addressed the issue of whether or not they actually are a cable company as the government understands the definition. The plea for a stay of execution was introduced hours later, suggesting Aereo had foresight to the decision.

Aereo went on to say "unless it is able to resume operations in the immediate future, the company will likely not survive" in their last-minute filing. Aereo is in a race to save themselves, while the court system and Copyright Office typically operate pragmatically, slowly turning the wheels of justice. Or, in Aereo's case, turning the screws.

Via: Reuters