Verizon Sends Netflix Cease And Desist Letter

For those who haven’t heard, Verizon and Netflix are having a bit of a dispute at the moment. Netflix has also taken a recent jab at Verizon via a message on its service. Spotted by Yuri Victor, it seems that whenever a video stops streaming halfway, a Netflix splash screen pops up with a message that reads, “The Verizon network is crowded now. Adjusting video for smoother playback…”

We guess this is Netflix’s not-so subtle way at blaming Verizon for the slow streaming speeds that their customers are experiencing. Verizon is naturally not too happy about this and while they had initially tried to write it off by calling it a PR stunt, they have since sent Netflix a cease and desist letter, claiming that (via CNBC) “there is no basis for Netflix to assert that issues with respect to playback of any particular video session are attributable solely to the Verizon network.”

In response to the letter, Netflix’s spokesperson, Joris Evers, told Huffington Post, “This is about consumers not getting what they paid for from their broadband provider. We are trying to provide more transparency, just like we do with the Netflix ISP Speed Index, and Verizon is trying to shut down that discussion.”

This is actually not the first time that Netflix has run into issues with internet providers, such as Verizon and even AT&T. The issues they had was with deteriorating speeds, with each side claiming that the other needs to improve their infrastructure. In any case it is unclear where Netflix or Verizon will be headed with this little spat, but hopefully it will be resolved soon.

Tyler Lee
Categories: General
Tags: Legal, Netflix, Verizon