BREAKING: Supreme Court Rules Aereo Is Illegal

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that online television streaming service Aereo Inc. violates copyright law by retransmitting over-the-air programming without authorization, ending the biggest copyright case in years with a decision that effectively shutters the disruptive upstart.

By a 6-3 vote, the high court said Aereo's streaming service represented a "public performance" of the major television networks' copyrighted works, despite a quirky system of tiny antennae and direct feeds that Aereo believed made it more of a private antennae rental service for consumers.