Controversial TV Technology at Edge of Legal Frontier

Last Saturday I posted here about the Slingbox, a "place-shifting" device that permits you to watch home video sources anywhere.  About this device, Andrew Wallenstein writes:  "... Place-shifting is problematic to many copyright holders because it sidesteps what is known in legalese as proximity control, which restricts the distribution of content to specific regions and times. It's a standard contractual stipulation for the Motion Picture Assn. of America, whose member studios license distribution rights to movies for distinct territories; the National Football League, which considers geographic limits the linchpin of lucrative television deals, including its Sunday Ticket pact with DirecTV; and local television stations, which pony up millions of dollars for exclusive territorial rights to all kinds of programming. ..."  Link: Reuters.  --Dennis

Comments

[charlie]

Dennis,

Though the threat of lawsuit is there, I really believe that the Cable/Satellite companies will actually embrace the slingbox technology. It's like the TiVo. At first they ignored it, then they seemed to hate it, now they offer it. If there is a potential revenue stream....they'll find it. :)

Charlie