The digital streaming rights management lawsuit between Cablevision and Viacom has come to an end with both parties agreeing to terms.
The lawsuit began when Viacom claimed the use of iPad streaming was a violation of the company’s delivery rights, however Cablevision countered their claims, noting that only Cablevision provided modems would allow for streaming to take place, keeping the digital rights in the Cablevision users home.
The lawsuit which was settled after being filed in a Southern District of New York court came to an end with the two company’s release of a joint statement that reads:
“Viacom and Cablevision have agreed to resolve their pending litigation, and the Viacom programming will continue to appear on Cablevision’s Optimum Apps for iPad and other IP devices. In reaching the settlement agreement, Cablevision and Viacom were able to resolve the iPad matter and an unrelated business matter to their mutual satisfaction. Neither side is conceding its original legal position or will have further comment.”
At this time the two company’ have not revealed any new terms that have been reached.
During a time when new technology is allowing programs to be streamed over internet connections to various devices I won’t be surprised if we witness more provider lawsuits in the future, while new contracts between networks and providers will likely contain more digital management options.
It should be noted that Cablevision was not charging customers for the right to stream shows to their devices in their home, in fact many subscribers would have been using the device instead of their regular TVs in many cases.
