The Hollywood Reporter | Poynter
CBS is fighting an injunction that would bar its tech publication CNET from reporting on BitTorrent, a peer-to-peer file sharing technology, Eriq Gardner reports. “[T]he public interest would be damaged by denying legitimate and truthful information about a pervasive technology, as well as by impending noninfringing uses,” CBS’ lawyers argue in the suit, which was filed by Greek billionaire Alki David and some musicians.
CBS’ defense of CNET’s editorial independence in this instance may seem dissonant given its recent clampdowns on CNET’s ability to report on technologies produced by companies with whom CBS is engaged in litigation. CBS prohibited CNET from granting an award to a Dish Network product and won’t let the publication review TV-streaming service Aereo.
Gardner inquired about the seeming contradiction. “CNET is not going to give an award or any other validation to a Product which CBS is challenging as illegal, other Networks believe to be illegal and one court has already found to violate the copyright act in its application,” a spokesperson told him. “Beyond that, CNET will cover every other product and service on the planet.”
