TVEyes is a $500-per-month TV and radio broadcast search service. Fox News filed the suit on 7/30 in U.S. District Court in New York, alleging TVEyes makes versions of the cable news network’s programming available on its site for paid users without permission.
The suit accuses TVEyes of misappropriating “the entirety of the works that Fox News has developed at great expense and to reproduce, to distribute, to publicly perform and/or to publicly display verbatim copies of the works” without authorization, reports The Wrap.
According to the suit, Robert Bruder, director of client relations for TVEyes, admitted that the site was already using Fox News’ content when he approached the channel seeking a license to use that work.
“Mr. Bruder notified Fox News that TVEyes had been using Fox News’s content without authorization and that TVEyes now sought a license from Fox News in exchange for which it would compensate Fox News,” the filing states. “In response, Fox News demanded that TVEyes cease its use of Fox News’s content. TVEyes, however, refused to take down the infringing content.”
Oh, and then TVEyes created a mobile application, promising subscribers they could “take the power of TVEyes with you everywhere you go.”
Fox News is seeking an injunction preventing TVEyes from using its content and unspecified statutory and punitive damages. The suit alleges TVEyes’ annual revenue is in the “millions of dollars.”
Asked for comment, Fox News’ lead outside counsel Dale Cendali told TheWrap: “Fox News had no choice but to file the lawsuit after its many attempts to resolve this amicably failed. Fox News works hard to produce its programming and is committed to protecting it from free rider copiers.”
