Electronics company Roku will resume selling its digital media players in Mexico after the Supreme Court yesterday overturned the ban on the popular streaming devices.
Sales and importation of the player had been banned since January due to a court order handed down by a Mexico City judge.
Pay television company Cablevisión, a subsidiary of media conglomerate Televisa, initiated legal action against Roku last year because it claimed that the devices were being hacked and that content to which it has exclusive rights was being stolen.
After losing several rounds in a long-running legal battle, Roku was finally granted the injunction it sought.
The company’s general counsel, Stephen Kay, said the court’s decision was welcome news.
“Today’s decision is an important victory for Roku, its Mexican distributor Latamel and Mexican retailers in the legal battle against an improper ban on sales of its popular streaming players in Mexico,” he said.
“We are pleased with the . . . court’s decision and look forward to continuing to build Roku’s TV streaming business in Mexico.”
The media players will reappear on shelves at a range of retailers in the coming weeks, Roku said.
“Streaming is the future of TV. It offers a great opportunity for consumers in Mexico by providing more entertainment choices, the ability to watch TV on their schedules and more value for money,” Roku chief marketing officer Matthew Anderson said.
“We are grateful to our customers in Mexico who, despite the sales ban, continued to stream more and more hours; and for our retail partners and content providers who supported us throughout this past year. We look forward to launching the latest Roku devices in Mexico soon and giving customers an even richer streaming experience.”
Cablevisión said in a statement that it was pleased that Roku had committed to combat piracy but added that it would take further legal action if that commitment is not upheld.
Source: El Financiero (sp)
