EMERYVILLE, Calif. - MobiTV, a provider and platform for content delivery over mobile and broadband networks, has threatened to sue mobile phone community and resource HowardForums.
According to a post by HowardForums owner Howard Chui, users of the site realized that MobiTV has been storing links to their video feeds in a text file that is accessible to anyone with an Internet connection, thus giving users free access to a myriad of video content.
MobiTV has threatened to take HowardForums offline due to users' URL posts, which apparently are available in numerous locations.
"I'm sure MobiTV's content providers would be very interested to know that MobiTV is broadcasting their intellectual property while taking such measures to protect it," Chui said. "It's like they're a movie theater with see-through walls. If you walk by, you can see what's going on, but they don't want you to.
"Anyways, MobiTV is asking us to remove the link to this text file. If we do not, they are threatening to contact ICANN and HowardForums' host to get the site pulled down."
In a letter to Chui, MobiTV says it will "be forced to take further legal action to protect MobiTV's valuable intellectual property rights" if Chui doesn't remove the link by 5 p.m. Friday.
"We will escalate this matter to our outside counsel and will be initiating a lawsuit within the next week, unless we receive confirmation that this post and the post I mentioned to Howard earlier [Friday] ... have been removed," MobiTV said in a follow-up email to Chui.
