BROADCAST BATTLE

Free Broadcast TV Streaming Service Locast Forced to Shut Down After Legal Loss

A U.S. District Court judge ruled that Locast, a non-profit streaming service that provides access to local TV broadcasts, violated copyright law.

A startup nonprofit that provides free access to local broadcasts has shut down following a legal loss to major media companies. In a Thursday statement, Locast, which has over three million U.S. users, says they will keep fighting to provide access to local TV broadcasts. In a summary judgment, U.S. District Court Judge Louis Stanton sided with major media companies ABC, CBS, FOX and NBCUniversal, claiming Locast was not exempt from copyright laws despite being a nonprofit. Some nonprofits are allowed to obtain TV signals and deliver them to nonpaying viewers. Because Locast regularly asks for donations and uses some of them to expand its market, the company does not meet the legal definition of a non-profit, Stanton said.