[July 06, 2009] CEA Issues Statement on Supreme Court Decision Tweet Jul 02, 2009 (Close-Up Media via COMTEX) -- The United States Supreme Court denied the petition for a writ of certiorari upholding the legality of Cablevision's remote digital video recorder (DVR). The technology is functionally identical to a home DVR, and allows viewers to record programs on a remote system within Cablevision's offices. The following statement, dated June 29, can be attributed to CEA President and CEO, Gary Shapiro. "We applaud the U.S. Supreme Court today for letting stand a decision that supports the growth of technology and innovation. The ability to record television programming has become commonplace to millions of Americans which has benefited consumers and allowed the consumer technology and content industries to contribute billions of dollars to our economy and create millions of jobs. "From a common-sense standpoint, the Court's decision was a slam-dunk. The Court has already ruled that consumers have the right to time-shift television shows. Whether the bits reside in a box under your TV or a box in the cable field office is not relevant. "CEA has been at the forefront of promoting digital technologies for decades. The ability to shift content among devices and products within the home is paramount in allowing technology to thrive and allowing companies to continue to design and develop new products. "In addition, remote computing and data storage, like that allowed by the remote DVR, offers extraordinary benefits. Indeed Americans already enjoy this technology through services like Google applications and Mac. An adverse ruling would have hamstrung this exciting new area of innovation. "We commend the Supreme Court for protecting our ability to innovate and ensure that America remains the world's technology leader." The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is a trade association promoting growth in the $172 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,000 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected])) [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]