A California judge has rejected a request for a preliminary injunction against Dish Network’s ad-skipping digital video recorder in a dispute that has pit broadcasters against a main distributor of their programming.
Judge Dolly Gee of the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Monday struck down the request by News Corp. broadcaster Fox, according to a statement from Dish. A Fox spokesman confirmed the ruling but said the network would appeal.
The ruling was not released publically.
Dish Network Corp. and the broadcast networks have been at odds over a new digital video recorder called the Hopper, which allows consumers to record prime-time programming from the four broadcast networks — ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox — and play the video back the next day with the commercials stripped out.
Gee determined that Fox was unlikely to be able to prove that it has suffered irreparable harm from the copies Dish made as a way to back up recordings on consumers’ DVRs, Dish said.
Dish’s general counsel, R. Stanton Dodge, called the ruling “a victory for common sense and customer choice.”
Fox said in a statement said it was “gratified” that the judge found that Dish’s copies infringed on its copyright and breached their contract. But it disagreed that making the copies did not cause irreparable harm.
“Dish is marketing and benefitting from an unauthorized (video on demand) service that illegally copies Fox’s valuable programming,” Fox said in a statement.
The broadcasters argue that automated ad-skipping would deprive them of needed ad revenue, while Dish argues its new device just makes it easier to do what consumers do already on their own DVRs: record shows and skip through ads on playback.
Hwang Dong-hyuk On Season 2 of “Squid Game,” Wrapping Production on Season 3; What’s Next?
Viewers may gasp, cringe or cry out watching characters die on Netflix's "Squid Game," but those simulated deaths have a different effect on its creator, writer and director. Instead, Hwang Dong-hyuk feels happiness seeing them go.
The show has a huge cast and Hwang says it was "really difficult" to manage everyone on set.
As characters would die, Hwang recalls saying to the actors on their last day, "'Oh no! How sad! I won't see you tomorrow,' but I was always smiling inside."
"Squid Game" season two premieres Thursday. It once again stars Lee Jung-jae and centers around a secret competition in South Korea that targets people in debt and the winner gets a big cash prize. What they don't know is that losing the game is deadly.
Hwang originally conceived of the show 15 years ago as a two-hour film but it failed to gain traction with financiers or even interested actors. He put it aside and worked on other films instead. He then had the idea to make it a TV series instead and took the project to Netflix. There, it could reach a wide audience.
"I never in my wildest dream thought it was going to be this huge," said Hwang, who spoke about the show and what comes next. Answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Q: What have you learned from "Squid Game"?
HWANG: I learned that I shouldn't give up. If you love something and if you want to create something, it might not work now, but the time might come later. Or that idea could be the source of inspiration for something else.
Q: You've already finished filming season three of "Squid Game." Have you thought about what your next project will be?
HWANG: I'm afraid to talk... Read More