TV Technology - The Next Great Copyright Case?

"Days after the Supreme Court weighed in on digital copyright infringement issues in the MGM v. Grokster case, select consumer electronics chains began stocking a product some predict could spark the entertainment industry's next showdown over intellectual property rights." TV technology at edge of legal frontier

Grokster made it clear that selling a device that has the stated purpose of infringement isn't okay. However, there was no mention of "space-shifting" or "place-shifting." Perhaps this means that the current law allows the newest in entertainment technology, as long as the marketing is done correctly.

For years, we've been setting a device to record our favorite programs while we aren't home (time-shifting). First with the VCR, and later with DVRs. However, we've been waiting for the ability to view programs remotely (space -shifting).

Every time I've spent the night in a hotel, I've missed my DVR. I can't stand flipping through the channels, hoping to find something interesting when I know that I've got great programming waiting for me at home. Or even worse, missing a program and hearing the outcome the next day before I get a chance to view it. With the newest in TV technology, you can view your recorded programs before you get home.

From the article: "New to the shelves of Best Buy and CompUSA this month is Slingbox, a brick-sized device that enables viewers to route the live television signal coming into their homes to a portable device anywhere on the globe via broadband connection."

The ability to "space-shift" seems a natural extension of the "time-shift" of Sony. As long as the companies market the use I've described, space-shifting may be viable. As for the entertainment industry, I recommend they "sell" programs to people who forgot to record them (or who don't subscribe to the channel of the program).