It’s not quite going in that direction – yet – but another law firm has opened an inquiry into “defective” HD Radio receivers in high-end automobiles. The first firm on the scene, Keefe Bartels, is now soliciting consumer complaints about problems with HD Radio reception.
Details are few, but there’s always the chance – if a lawsuit is filed – that the plaintiffs could push for class-action status. Both firms appear to be working in concert.
That would be a significant nail in iBiquity’s coffin: receiver manufacturers, already unenthused with the product, will stay well away from the technology.
If the law firms’ primary beef seems to be that “HD” has been implied to mean “High Definition” (which it has), they need to dig deeper; there are plenty of more substantive counts on which to indict the technology.
There’s also the possibility that lawsuits could be filed between radio stations suffering interference from other stations that have deployed HD side-channels. Since the FCC is doing nothing with at least three pending complaints, the victim-stations suffering HD-induced interference may have no recourse but the courts.
Were any of these legal potentialities to be realized, “game-changer” is not strong enough to denote the consequences.
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