Teutonic blocker not blocked
Court rules gadget no threat to b'casters
Commercial broadcasters RTL and Vox had tried to block the blocker from going on the market. The gadget, manufactured by a German company, automatically switches away from commercials and other unwanted programming.
The company has a transmitting facility in the city of Koblenz which sends out a special "TV Spot Stop" signal to German TV broadcasting studios. When activated at home, the device picks up the radio signal and switches to another channel.
The court said the commercial blocker poses no dishonest competitive threat to the broadcasters and can therefore be marketed freely.
