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Time Warner Cable and Viacom Settle Lawsuit Over iPad Television Streaming

Wednesday May 16, 2012 11:38 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
Time Warner Cable and Viacom have settled their legal entanglements regarding Time Warner's streaming of Viacom video content on its iPad app, according to the New York Times.
The breakthrough comes as a result of a settlement between Time Warner Cable and Viacom, which owns cable channels like Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, MTV and others. For months there had been a heated dispute over whether the cable company should have access to Viacom programs through its TWCable TV app.

On Wednesday, Viacom said that the companies had agreed "to resolve their pending litigations" and that "all of Viacom’s programming will now be available to Time Warner Cable subscribers for in-home viewing via Internet protocol-enabled devices such as iPads."
The companies have been fighting over streaming rights for more than a year. Time Warner argued that its existing agreements give it the right to provide video streams on any screen, rather than just the television. Viacom said the app was "unlicensed distribution of Viacom's programming." Viacom still has a pending lawsuit with Cablevision over its Optimum live TV app.

Viacom's programming will roll out on the Time Warner Cable app over the next few weeks.

Time Warner's app, TWC TV, is available free on the App Store for its cable customers. [Direct Link]

[ 36 comments ]


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thisrocks
88 months ago

The signature is that it's a big no-no to talk about cracked apps on macrumors while it's perfectly fine to talk about stealing internet access via JB tethering apps. Both are a crime and should be treated as such.


I got that much, my point is more around a) caring and b) how you don't see it criminal that Telcos can do this. Encouraging public dialogue through a forum may be the only way to get the message across to them. Using pirated software is not comparable in any way to this, and I'm glad that such discourse is quashed.

Are you doing some sort of protest about cracked software conversation being shut down? There is no reason to side with Telcos on this matter, and the promotion in your signature is bordering disgusting
Rating: 5 Votes
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Ed91
88 months ago

The signature is that it's a big no-no to talk about cracked apps on macrumors while it's perfectly fine to talk about stealing internet access via JB tethering apps. Both are a crime and should be treated as such.


I'm sorry, but I already pay for unwanted minutes and texts on top of my data allowance (even though all are just data anyway). How I use my data allowance should be up to me. It isn't stealing, because I'm not using anything I haven't already paid for, I'm just using it in a different way.

Imagine you get your water bill, but the water company has decided to charge you by your usage in showers, cooking, and gardening - all at different costs.

Gardening is most expensive, so I water my plants in the shower.

Am I stealing? It's the same water I'm paying for.
Rating: 5 Votes
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ncaissie
88 months ago

OOPS :eek:

The Water Company DOES charge you by usage (just the opposite of what you have listed). Indoor Usage Water is charged at a Higher Rate than Outdoor Water if you have the appropriate Meters attached in order to distinguish between the usage.

Bad Example but I think people get the point, While I personally don't Tether, I agree that if I'm paying for an internet connection, it shouldn't matter how I use it.


LMAO They do NOT do that.
Rating: 5 Votes
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thisrocks
88 months ago
What's with the overdone joke posts? I hope they're joke posts.

I've also always wondered about TMar's signature.
Rating: 3 Votes
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LukasUtopia
88 months ago
I guess this now facilitates the App to be used in the rumoured Apple TV.
Rating: 3 Votes
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Don Kosak
88 months ago
Woo hoo!

This is great news.

It was a drag to log onto TW Cable on my iPad and see so many channels missing. That app just got a lot better.
Rating: 2 Votes
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Mr. F
88 months ago
It's just plain old greed. They still show the commercials, they were just trying to squeeze more money out of the consumer. What difference could it possibly make to them what device we see the commercials on?

It would be nice if they redirected that energy to improving their product instead.
Rating: 1 Votes
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GenesisST
88 months ago

i'm sorry, but i already pay for unwanted minutes and texts on top of my data allowance (even though all are just data anyway). How i use my data allowance should be up to me. It isn't stealing, because i'm not using anything i haven't already paid for, i'm just using it in a different way.

Imagine you get your water bill, but the water company has decided to charge you by your usage in showers, cooking, and gardening - all at different costs.

Gardening is most expensive, so i water my plants in the shower.

Am i stealing? it's the same water i'm paying for.


Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
JAT
88 months ago

The reason they have to charge so much for data is because it is different from voice and requires more resources. You can sacrifice voice quality up to a point; however, your higher bandwidth requires better quality ie. more expensive hardware and they have to pay the government for the bandwidth used (licensing fees).


That's all well and good about water. But the whole "2nd line" deal does not apply to this discussion. It's all the same data, it isn't voice vs data that is being discussed. When you already have a limit on the data plan of 2GB or whatever, the carrier dictating how you use it is pointless. Note VZW noticed this and allows tethering on more plans, now.
Rating: 1 Votes
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Bheleu
88 months ago

I'm sorry, but I already pay for unwanted minutes and texts on top of my data allowance (even though all are just data anyway). How I use my data allowance should be up to me. It isn't stealing, because I'm not using anything I haven't already paid for, I'm just using it in a different way.

Imagine you get your water bill, but the water company has decided to charge you by your usage in showers, cooking, and gardening - all at different costs.

Gardening is most expensive, so I water my plants in the shower.

Am I stealing? It's the same water I'm paying for.

Typically in the city at least, they do charge you differently. If you use over a certain amount of water you pay higher tier prices because like water, bandwidth is a finite resourse and must be conserved. Likewise, if you get the second line for the lawn. You can get that water at a lower rate, and are not charged for wastewater (it going into the sewer). You are billed for what you use, and for how you use it. Additionally you are charged a fee for having a meter as well.

This is a very good analogy because most people want to tether because they purchased a cheap water line intended for lawns only (unlimited data for the device only) and they want to use that water hooked up into their house and avoid paying the wastewater charge (jailbroken/untethered). Thanks for making this extremely clear to me... and the reason they charge so much for wastewater is because they have to reprocess it. The reason they have to charge so much for data is because it is different from voice and requires more resources. You can sacrifice voice quality up to a point; however, your higher bandwidth requires better quality ie. more expensive hardware and they have to pay the government for the bandwidth used (licensing fees). Competition keeps licensing fees high which goes back into your cost as consumer. Had the TMobile/ATT merger happened it would have been great for both sets of customers, but hurt their competition.
Rating: 1 Votes

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