Marion-based Syncbak part of lawsuit involving broadcast networks

A Marion-based technology company has become part of a lawsuit involving New-York based Aereo and a group of broadcast companies.

Syncbak, founded by Jack Perry in 2009, enables television viewing on mobile platforms - smartphones and tablets. Its technology uses hardware that enables both Syncbak and its broadcast partners to stream TV via the Internet to authenticated viewers on connected devices.

Syncbak was subpoenaed by Aereo for documents and testimony relating to CBS's investment in Syncbak, negotiations concerning the investment, features of Syncbak's technology and documents concerning Aereo, according to documents filed May 23 with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.

Aereo, a competitor to Syncbak, is a defendant in a lawsuit in New York, in which networks ABC, CBS and NBC allege that Aereo's services infringe on their copyrights, according to court documents.

“I always expected to beat Aereo on the business and tech fronts,” Perry said. “I guess we'll just have to beat them in the courts now, too.”

In a court appearance Tuesday, Syncbak lawyers asked the judge to dismiss the subpoena "because they are unduly burdensome, will cause significant competitive injury to Syncbak and are neither needed by Aereo nor relevant to Aereo's defense in the action," documents stated.

Syncbak stated its technology has attracted attention from the investment community and counts the National Association of Broadcasters, the Consumer Electronics Association and CBS Corp. among its investors. Syncbak also argued it would be "extremely disruptive and burdensome" for the company to produce witnesses to testify on topics in Aereo's deposition subpoena.