ICraveTV
Encyclopedia
iCraveTV was a Canadian
website, which operated from 1999 to 2000. The site offered streaming Internet broadcasts of the conventional television stations, both Canadian and American
, that were available as over-the-air signals in Toronto.
The site, launched by William Craig
, was intensely controversial during its short lifespan, raising significant issues around the interpretation of copyright
law. Craig viewed the service as essentially equivalent to a cable television
distributor, while many of the television stations whose signals were being distributed viewed the site's actions as analogous to the RIAA
's copyright infringement case against Napster
.
In February 2000, a U.S. court issued a preliminary injunction against iCraveTV enjoining it from streaming its signals into the United States. However, the Canadian courts did not have the opportunity to consider the matter because, in late February, the company succumbed to legal pressure and agreed to discontinue its streaming operations in return for the withdrawal of all actions against it. The company also agreed to withdraw its December 1999 request to the Canadian Copyright Board for an interim Internet retransmission tariff for the years 1999 and 2000, with a final tariff to be determined in due course. (The measures enacted in relation to retransmissions are discussed below.)
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
website, which operated from 1999 to 2000. The site offered streaming Internet broadcasts of the conventional television stations, both Canadian and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, that were available as over-the-air signals in Toronto.
The site, launched by William Craig
William Craig (broadcaster)
William Craig is a Canadian broadcaster.Craig began his career as a researcher for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's This Hour Has Seven Days. He subsequently joined the programming departments at the CBC, TVOntario and Rogers Cable...
, was intensely controversial during its short lifespan, raising significant issues around the interpretation of copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
law. Craig viewed the service as essentially equivalent to a cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
distributor, while many of the television stations whose signals were being distributed viewed the site's actions as analogous to the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
's copyright infringement case against Napster
Napster
Napster is an online music store and a Best Buy company. It was originally founded as a pioneering peer-to-peer file sharing Internet service that emphasized sharing audio files that were typically digitally encoded music as MP3 format files...
.
In February 2000, a U.S. court issued a preliminary injunction against iCraveTV enjoining it from streaming its signals into the United States. However, the Canadian courts did not have the opportunity to consider the matter because, in late February, the company succumbed to legal pressure and agreed to discontinue its streaming operations in return for the withdrawal of all actions against it. The company also agreed to withdraw its December 1999 request to the Canadian Copyright Board for an interim Internet retransmission tariff for the years 1999 and 2000, with a final tariff to be determined in due course. (The measures enacted in relation to retransmissions are discussed below.)