At www.internetlawjournal.com and news.cnet.com, I came across a recent case involving inteleectual property. Two journalists, Gina LaPlante, and John Borland, summarize a current case that occured on January 28. Canadian webcaster iCraveTV.com, which supplies viewers with television service on the computer, was issued a restraining order by a judge in Pittsburgh, PA which temporarily prohibits them from transmitting any copyrighted television programs in the United States on their website. They can't transmit these programs on any other website or online facility as well. This is just another example of the ongoing battle between, as Mr. Borland puts it, "traditional programmers and online companies as the Web increasingly becomes a video medium." He goes on to add, "Many sites have begun offering original programming of their own, but the attraction of providing proven draws such as sports games, news or network television shows is irresistible."iCraveTV.com was started in late 1999, in which they showed the programs of 17 Canadian and United States broadcast television stations online, unedited and uncut. However, it was the fact that they did not receive permission from the programmers in both countries that the case was brought to court.

The Canadian company argued that Canada's laws allowed them to rebroadcast television programs, in the same manner that cable and satellite companies do. Chief executive Bill Craig states, "As long as the company doesn't cut or insert its own commercials into the programming, and ultimately pays copyright holders for their work, the action is completely legal." American broadcasters felt another way. They asked the judge in Pittsburgh to take iCraveTV.com of the Internet, stating, "(iCraveTv)is seizing billions of dollars of copyrighted television programs and motion pictures and publicly performing them via the Internet to large numbers of persons throughout the United States--without the slightest authorization from any copyright owner."

The judge obviously agreed with the broadcasters, and granted their request for a temporary restraining order on iCraveTV.com. The judge also demanded that iCraveTv make copies of its Internet server log files available to the plaintiffs that following Wednesday. It was not over, as the National Football League and National Basketball Associations asked for more than $5 million in damages. A full court hearing is expected soon.