Ars reports on the likely battle over Slingbox, a device that plugs into your TV and lets you watch TV content on the road. Major League Baseball doesn’t like the device because it allows users to evade the geographical restrictions of its licensing agreements with cable operators.
I’m having trouble seeing the legal argument against Slingbox. It only allows users to watch content they’ve already paid for (in the case of cable or satellite) or that’s broadcast over the air for free. It doesn’t facilitate re-distribution to others or commercial-skipping. If any device is modeled to pass Sony with flying colors, this is it.
On the other hand, the courts do make mistakes. Slingbox bears a striking resemblence to My.MP3.com, which was killed off in a poorly-reasoned decision by a district judge. MP3.com was another service that allowed users to more conveniently consume their legally acquired content. As I’ve written before, MP3.com was prevented from appealing the decision by the requirement to post a bond for the excessive statutory damages imposed by Judge Rakoff. If this does go to court, I hope it will provide an opportunity for the courts to repudiate the MP3.com decision.
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