Lightwire receives legal threats over GlobalMode service

Lightwire receives legal threats from Sky TV, TVNZ, Lightbox and MediaWorks over GlobalMode(R) service

[Original post]

Yesterday Lightwire and a number of other New Zealand ISPs received a letter from lawyers representing a conglomerate of old-media companies in New Zealand; Sky Network Television, TVNZ, Lightbox (a Spark company), and MediaWorks.

The letter claims that our offering of the GlobalMode(R) service to our customers, allowing customers to access previously region-blocked content from overseas such as BBC iPlayer, Netflix, etc, is unlawful. This claim has not been tested in New Zealand courts, however the letter "requires" us to cease offering the GlobalMode(R) service by 15 April 2015 or face further legal proceedings.

We thoroughly disagree with the claims that the letter makes. We believe that the GlobalMode(R) service reduces the temptation to illegally download content by offering consumers in New Zealand more choice in terms of accessing content from legitimate sources and on their own terms.

We also believe that, for the most part, New Zealand consumers want to do the right thing and access content through legal channels whenever they are available. The convenience of legitimate online streaming services with a rich choice of on-demand content is clear, and New Zealand consumers have spoken. However, the old media companies are using their established clout to try and enforce an increasingly irrelevant business model in a world in which regional content restrictions feel outdated and out of step with consumer demand.

Unfortunately we simply do not have the resources to challenge the claims in a legal setting and so barring any further action by other ISPs - or by the Commerce Commission - we will have to disable the GlobalMode(R) service entirely by the 15th of April 2015.

Letter to Lightwire from Buddle Findlay (PDF)

Bypass Network Services Limited (BNSL) Press Release

© Scoop Media