TV Broadcasters Lose Round One in Legal War With Barry Diller's Aereo

TV broadcasting executives have spent the better part of a week threatening legal action over Dish Network's new Auto Hop feature that allows users to completely skip commercials. But while that has been happening, a federal judge in New York has been considering a case that the TV industry has already taken to court. U.S. District Court Judge Alison J. Nathan dismissed part of a complaint filed by broadcasters against Aereo, the online video startup backed by Barry Diller. The court dismissed an unfair competition claim but left a copyright infringement claim still to be heard.