Netflix refuses to comply with Verizon's "cease and desist" demands

Netflix said Monday it will not stop telling consumers that Internet service providers are to blame for poor streaming video.

Last week, Verizon sent a cease and desist letter to Netflix threatening a lawsuit unless Netflix immediately stops sending notices to customers (like the one at the top of this story) blaming Verizon for poor quality. Verizon also demanded a list of all customers who received such messages and evidence that each message was justified.

"Failure to provide this information may lead us to pursue legal remedies, and Verizon reserves all rights in that regard," Verizon wrote. Netflix General Counsel David Hyman sent the company's response today (PDF). Netflix is hedging, but only a little. The messages the company is sending to consumers are part of a "test" that's ending next week, but that doesn't mean Netflix's public relations campaign is over, Hyman wrote.