Frontier Communications' requested stay of piracy litigation brought by various music labels (see 2108130033) in U.S. Bankruptcy Court to consolidate a trio of such claims, but only the U.S. District Court in Manhattan can do that, the labels told the Manhattan court in an opposition (in Pacer, docket 21-cv-05050) Friday. They said they were forced to split their claims between U.S. District Court and Bankruptcy Court by the deadline for filing administrative proofs of claim in Frontier's bankruptcy. Frontier counsel didn't comment.
Music label copyright litigation against Frontier Communications (see 2108110011) and related movie company claims brought in U.S. District Court are an attempted "end-run" around U.S. Bankruptcy Court, where the claims originally were filed, Frontier told the U.S. District Court in Manhattan Friday in a motion to stay (in Pacer, docket 21-cv-5050). Citing "basic fairness and efficiency," Frontier said the Manhattan court should stay the complaints pending adjudication of what it said were duplicative claims in Bankruptcy Court. Outside counsel for the music label plaintiffs didn't comment.
Propping up the online pirating of TV shows, movies, games and live events is an estimated $1.34 billion in annual revenue from ads on websites and illicit streaming apps, said a report Thursday by Digital Citizens Alliance and White Bullet. It said website advertising dominates, getting about $1.1 billion of that, though apps appear to be more profitable and are growing rapidly. When combined with subscription revenue, piracy platform operators generate an estimated $2.34 billion revenue annually, it said. The study said major Fortune 500 brands paid pirate operators an estimated $100 million last year, and 25% of ads on piracy apps are from well-known companies. It said big brands have made a concerted effort in the past eight years to stop their ads from showing up on illicit websites.
Universal Electronics Inc. got a favorable initial determination in an International Trade Commission patent infringement case against Roku. UEI CEO Paul Arling said the ITC judge recommended issuing a limited exclusion and cease and desist order. The finding is under review by commissioners, with a final determination, “including the issuance of the limited exclusion and cease and desist orders,” expected by Nov. 10, he told investors Thursday. See Q2 materials here and here and our report 2108060033. Roku didn't comment Friday. Arling said LG, Microsoft and Samsung license UEI’s IP. The patents involve QuickSet, he said. UEI stock closed up 7.4 Friday at $48.03.
A judge asked if district court proceedings should be stayed until the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules on Florida's appeal of a preliminary injunction against the state's social media law. Parties should respond by Aug. 18 in case 21-cv-00220-RH-MAF, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Hinkle ruled Wednesday. Hinkle set trial for June 6 next year after discovery wraps Feb. 7. Florida wanted until May for discovery (see 2108030053).
CEO Jon Kirchner highlighted Xperi's media IP business on a Q2 call. (See Q2 materials here.) He called it a top strategic growth area as its pay-TV business declines along with industry trends. Revenue in that segment fell 9% year on year to $54 million, Kirchner said Tuesday. IP licensing revenue was $101.8 million, media IP revenue up 40% as Comcast, Fox, Google and others renewed and/or expanded licenses. Total Xperi sales fell 4.7% to $222.3 million.
ViacomCBS and Cox Communications signed a multiyear distribution deal keeping the programmer's cable content on the MVPD's channel lineup and covering retransmission consent of CBS stations in Los Angeles, ViacomCBS said Tuesday. This expands Cox subscriber access to ViacomCBS streaming services.
Amid ransomware attacks, the Advanced Television Systems Committee takes security of the 3.0 standards and deployment “very seriously,” said President Madeleine Noland. “We are vigilant” about security, she told us Friday. “It is not an afterthought. It is absolutely one of the most important parts of the standard.” 3.0 security “was built in and considered from the very beginning,” she said. The A/360 document in the suite of 3.0 standards on security and service protection was approved two years ago and was last updated in February. A third A/360 amendment on updated system encryption is in the candidate standard process that runs through Dec. 31. The 3.0 standards say “all the executable code shall be signed” cryptographically with a specified “key structure,” she said. “The receiver is able to look at that signature and determine whether or not the executable came from a bona fide source.” And “all the signaling structures” for audio and video, emergency alerting and other service features “must be signed” by the broadcaster, Noland said. “It would be very difficult for a man-in-the-middle attack to come in and sort of take over.” ATSC’s S36 specialist group on 3.0 security, chaired by Sony Director-Technical Standards Adam Goldberg, “meets on a regular basis, and they always have their ear to the rail,” Noland noted. Broadcasters have been hit by other ransomware attacks. (See our recent report here.)
Cox Communications is liable for copyright infringement on peer-to-peer networks it oversees, publisher and songwriter groups wrote in a brief filed Friday in docket 1:18-cv-950-LO/JFA (in Pacer). The National Music Publishers' Association, Nashville Songwriters Association International and Songwriters Association of North America wrote the brief filed with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. “Resist Cox’s invitation to dodge responsibility and thereby prompt a race to the bottom in infringement enforcement by the very platforms best positioned to put a halt to online piracy,” they wrote. Cox didn’t comment.
Incompas asked the FCC for more certainty on secure telephone identity revisited (Stir) and signature-based handling of asserted information using tokens (Shaken) rules, urging tweaks to rules on appeals when a provider’s service provider code is revoked. The FCC has a role to play in considering appeals, said a filing posted Thursday in docket 21-291. Incompas “would prefer the Commission set a time limit on its review period.” Commissioners vote this coming Thursday (see 2107150066).