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Alki David, the eccentric billionaire who owns FilmOn, has delivered an extraordinary attack on CBS Corporation for playing both sides on the piracy front.
Several television networks are suing FilmOn.com for copyright infringement. The service offers subscribers who pay $9.99 a month access to live high definition feeds of TV online on mobile devices. The UK company has maintained its legitimacy and has significant backing and several partnerships. But a federal judge issued an injunction after finding faults in its response papers, and FilmOn has had difficulties retaining counsel in the case.
Now David, who has produced, starred, and directed in several films himself, has come out with a video that targets CBS, the company that David believes is pushing the case against him.
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Specifically, David points out that CNET, a subsidiary of CBS, is distributing pirate illegal file sharing softwares, as well as DRM cracking softwares. David says this is “criminal” and makes CBS “hypocritical, thieving liars…who have single-handedly destroyed the entertainment business in the twenty-first century.”
Recently, CBS chief executive Les Moonves gave a talk, defending CBS’ decision not to put shows online. UPDATE: CBS has responded to the video, giving us this statement:
“Mr. David is clearly not feeling very good about his prospects in the court system. He is hardly an expert on intellectual property rights. CNET respects such rights, and meanwhile the court has issued a temporary restraining order against Mr. David and his company. We continue to think that the court is the best venue to determine the outcome of this case, one in which unauthorized use of our content has been distributed illegally.”
Here’s David’s incendiary video:
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