Viacom, Time Warner call a time-out on iPad fight

By Geoff Duncan June 23, 2011

Time Warner iPad app — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Cable operator Time Warner and Viacom Inc. have agreed to put their lawsuits against each other on hold while they try to reach an agreement over what programming Time Warner can offer to its cable subscribers via an iPad application, according to a court filing.

The companies originally sued each other back in April over Time Warner offering its cable subscribers access to Viacom programming on an iPad app. Viacom—along with Discovery and News Corp—argued that Time Warner’s programming licenses didn’t give the company the right to distribute their programming even to cable subscribers on anything other than a television set. Time Warner maintained its existing contracts provided all necessary rights.

Judge Leonard Sand of the U.S. District Court in New York approved suspending the lawsuits. According to the Associated Press, the standstill agreement went into effect June 17. Neither Viacom nor Time Warner offered comment on the suits or the negotiations.

Time Warner pulled nearly a dozen channels from its iPad application lineup in response to the suit, including Viacom properties like MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central. Industry reports have Time Warner preparing to launch a new version of its iPad application for its cable subscribers later this month.

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