For the most part, Netflix and Amazon are locked in a head-to-head competition with one another, as well as with many other entertainment companies and studios out there. But they're technically all teammates in the ongoing fight against illegal piracy. As part of the larger Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, both are part of a lawsuit against the company Set Broadcast, LLC over the sales of the IPTV service Set TV.
For those who are unaware of what Set TV is, it's basically either a piece of software (Settvnow) or a preloaded set-top box that are presented as the end-all option for cord-cutters by offering unlicensed access to streams for many different films and TV series. Obviously, the unlicensed part is where the litigious actions come into play, since Set TV not only connects users to live TV channel streams, but its "on demand" option allegedly uses third-party sources that are streaming films still currently in domestic theaters, as well as TV shows that aren't readily available by legal means outside of current broadcast schedules.
The lawsuit was filed in a California federal court on Friday, with Set Broadcast owner Jason Labbosiere and employee Nelson Johnson listed among the defendants, according to TorrentFreak. According to the ACE's suit, Set TV is basically just an easy-to-use pirating tool that infringes upon the copyrights of the many creators and creations that are being illicitly streamed through the service. As such, the ACE is seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages, which could easily spike up into the millions, as well as an injunction to stop the company from continuing its streaming activity.
Set TV is hardly the first of its kind, and certain ACE members have precedence in going after other Kodi-powered companies. In recent months, lawsuits have been slapped against the companies behind the devices Tickbox and Dragonbox, though the success rates can't really be measured yet, given how long it takes to spin a successful lawsuit. And the studios within ACE know that it's not just the execs within the companies themselves that are promoting the alleged infringement. The lawsuit also covers the sponsored advertising content that Set Broadcast has reportedly paid for, with YouTuber Solo Man getting namechecked (among others) for recording potentially dishonest opinions solely as a means of spreading the company's influence.
The ACE is made up of over two dozen entertainment companies throughout Hollywood and beyond, with Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Disney, Paramount, Sky, Sony, NBCUniversal, MBM, HBO, CBS and many more understanding they're all working toward the same goal of limiting illegal piracy as much as possible. With ever-declining TV ratings and plummeting theatrical ticket sales in the U.S., these companies are understandably desperate to get as many projects out to audiences in the most legal and financially worthwhile ways, so it's only a matter of time before the ACE goes after any and all remaining Kodi-based streaming services out there.
At this time, Set TV and its parent company are both still active. But while waiting to see what happens there, head to our summer premiere schedule to check out all the new and returning shows hitting the legal airwaves later this year.
