Zediva shuts down streaming DVD service

Zediva pulled the plug on its streaming movie service, responding to a court order that was issued last week.

Debuting in March, Zediva attempted to skirt copyright law by allowing users to rent DVDs on the same day they hit retail outlets, and streaming movies to viewers via the Web. But a U.S District Court judge in California didn't buy the company's argument, and issued a preliminary injunction against Zediva on Aug. 1.

Zediva notified subscribers of the shutdown on Wednesday, and also broke the news on its website. "You may have heard by now that we're having to lay off our DVD-changing monkeys," the company wrote on its site.

Zediva hopes that the shutdown is temporary, telling customers that it plans to appeal the court's ruling.

For more:
- see story in The San Francisco Chronicle

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