CBS Broadcasting, Inc. v. EchoStar Communications Corp.

276 F. Supp. 2d 1237, 67 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1545, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9707, 2003 WL 21800421
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedJune 10, 2003
Docket98-2651-CIV
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 276 F. Supp. 2d 1237 (CBS Broadcasting, Inc. v. EchoStar Communications Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
CBS Broadcasting, Inc. v. EchoStar Communications Corp., 276 F. Supp. 2d 1237, 67 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1545, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9707, 2003 WL 21800421 (S.D. Fla. 2003).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

DIMITROULEAS, District Judge.

THIS CASE came on for non-jury trial on April 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25, 2003. The Court has carefully considered the arguments of counsel, the evidence presented, and the testimony of the witnesses. The Court has also determined the credibility of witnesses and is otherwise fully advised in the premises.

Pursuant to Rule 52(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Court makes the following Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law. To the extent, if any, that the Findings of Fact as stated may be deemed Conclusions of Law, they shall be considered Conclusions of Law. Similarly, to the extent the matters expressed as Conclusions of Law may be deemed Findings of Fact, they shall be considered Findings of Fact.

I.INTRODUCTION

1. This is a copyright infringement action in which the Plaintiffs seek injunctive relief pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 502 and § 119(a)(5)(B). Plaintiffs also seek costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 505.

2. Plaintiff CBS Broadcasting, Inc. (“CBS”) is a New York corporation with its principal place of business in New York, New York. Plaintiff Fox Broadcasting Company (“Fox”) is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in Los Angeles, California. CBS and Fox operate the CBS and Fox television networks, respectively, which provide CBS and Fox network programming to television stations nationwide that are affiliated with CBS and Fox networks.

3. Plaintiffs ABC Television Affiliates Association, CBS Television Network Affiliates Association, FBC Television Affiliates Association and NBC Television Affiliates Association are voluntary membership trade associations representing network stations that are affiliates with their respective networks.

4. Defendant EchoStar Communications Corporation is a Nevada corporation. Defendants EchoStar Satellite Corporation and Satellite Communications Operating Corporation are Colorado corporations and subsidiaries of EchoStar Communications Corporation. The fourth defendant, DirectSat Corporation, a Delaware corpora *1240 tion, has merged with EchoStar Satellite Corporation. All defendants have their principal place of business in Littleton, Colorado. (The Court will refer to all the defendants collectively as “EchoStar.”) EchoStar has 8.5 million customers. It has eight satellites orbiting the earth at 22,000 miles over the equator.

5. Plaintiffs claim that EchoStar’s retransmission via satellite of copyrighted programming owned by Plaintiffs violates Plaintiffs’ copyright in its network television broadcasts. 1 The principal issue is whether EchoStar’s actions are permitted by the Satellite Home Viewer Act (“SHVA”), as amended by the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act (“SHVIA”), 2 which grants a limited statutory license to satellite carriers transmitting distant network signals to private homes if the subscribers are “unserved households.” 17 U.S.C. § 119(a)(2)(A), (B).

II. PROCEDURAL HISTORY

6. On October 19, 1998, EchoStar filed suit in Colorado against CBS, Fox, NBC and ABC seeking a declaratory judgment that EchoStar’s method of qualifying subscribers for distant network programming complied with the law. On November 5, 1998, the Plaintiffs filed their complaint in this Court alleging that EchoStar was infringing Plaintiffs’ copyrights by providing distant network programming to “served” households in violation of SHVA. The Colorado district court granted Plaintiffs’ motion to transfer the suit filed by EchoStar to Florida and the Colorado litigation was consolidated with this action.

7. On September 29, 2000, the Court entered a preliminary injunction against EchoStar. On November 22, 2000, the Eleventh Circuit stayed the enforcement of the preliminary injunction. On September 17, 2001, the Eleventh Circuit vacated the preliminary injunction holding. The case was then remanded to this Court.

8. EchoStar filed a Motion for Summary Judgment on February 3, 2003. Plaintiffs filed a Motion for Summary Judgment on All Counts of Their Complaint and Count I of EchoStar’s Counterclaim on February 4, 2003. Plaintiffs also filed a Motion for Summary Judgment on Counts II-V of EchoStar’s Counterclaim on February 4, 2003. The Court granted Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment on Counts II-V of EchoStar’s Counterclaim on March 24, 2003. The Court denied both EchoStar’s Motion for Summary Judgment and Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment on All Counts of Their Complaint and Count I of EchoStar’s Counterclaim on March 31, 2003. In that Order on Motions for Summary Judgment, the Court stated that all Plaintiffs had standing to proceed in this case. The Court further indicated that the issues to be decided at trial would be whether Ech-oStar is in violation of SHVA, whether a threat of future violation exists and whether EchoStar has engaged in a “willful or repeated pattern or practice.”

9. Plaintiff ABC was dismissed from this case on April 15, 2002. Plaintiff NBC was dismissed on November 25, 2002.

III. FINDINGS OF FACT

A. EchoStar and Distant Network Programming

10. EchoStar is a satellite carrier within the meaning of the Satellite Home View *1241 er Act (“SHVA”), 17 U.S.C. § 119, as amended by the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act (“SHVIA”).

11. EchoStar operates a Direct Broadcast Satellite (“DBS”) service called “DISH Network,” which offers satellite television, programming to subscribers who receive programming using small satellite dishes.

12. EchoStar retransmits the signals of network stations in two different ways: on a “local-to-local” basis and as distant signals. Local-to-local retransmission refers to the satellite delivery of network stations to a subscriber within the subscriber’s own local market. EchoStar currently offers local-to-local programming in approximate- ■ ly 62 out of the 210 U.S. television markets.

18. Distant network signals are network stations from outside a subscriber’s market area. For example, a person who lives in Fort Lauderdale but receives an ABC, CBS, Fox or NBC network station from New York City is receiving “distant network programming” or “distant network stations.”

14. EchoStar sells distant ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC network programming to customers throughout the United States. As of April 2002. EchoStar had approximately 1,180,000 distant network subscribers.

B. EchoStar’s Past Compliance Efforts

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Related

CBS Broadcasting, Inc. v. Echostar Communications Corp.
450 F.3d 505 (Eleventh Circuit, 2006)

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Bluebook (online)
276 F. Supp. 2d 1237, 67 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1545, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9707, 2003 WL 21800421, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cbs-broadcasting-inc-v-echostar-communications-corp-flsd-2003.