Orange has issued a summons to other operators in Slovakia demanding they stop distributing the 10 most popular Czech TV channels.
Zive reports that that the move has caught the operators by surprise, given that they are trying to keep the channels in their programme offers.
It quotes Orange as saying: “The distribution/retransmission of Czech TV stations takes place without the consent of the owners of the broadcasting rights to these program services, the company violates the exclusive rights of the owners of the broadcasting rights to the Czech TV stations, thereby also committing an illegal act in the form of unfair competition”.
It goes on to say that its competitors have an “unauthorised competitive advantage” over operators that do not offer Czech TV.
Zive notes that Orange itself only removed Czech channels from its IPTV offer and still provides them as part of its internet TV service, as well as via the satellite service sold by Skylink.
