Judge Sends Dish Ad-Skipping Dispute to California, Where Broadcasters Want It

Dish Network has lost its bid to handle the legal dispute over its ad-skipping technology, dubbed "The Hopper," in New York. A federal judge ruled instead that the broadcasters suing Dish -- CBS, NBC and Fox -- can pursue their claims in Los Angeles.

U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain in Manhattan granted a motion by News Corp.'s Fox network to dismiss Dish's copyright and contract claims in her court over the Auto Hop, as well as Dish's copyright claims against CBS and NBC, saying they should be argued in California. The venue for the dispute has been a point of contention since Dish Network filed a lawsuit in New York just hours before Fox and other TV networks filed in Los Angeles. Dish got a temporary restraining order that prevented Fox from proceeding with its own case in California. New York is believed to be a more favorable location for Dish Network because of a 2008 ruling that said pay-TV providers may offer digital video-recording services to their customers without being held liable for copyright infringement.