Los Gatos, Calif. – Netflix, the Los Gatos-based provider of subscription video services, may soon need to begin offering closed-captioning on its video-streaming website, following a ruling in the U.S. District Court this week, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The National Association for the Deaf had accused the company of skirting federal disability laws by failing to offer the service on its videos available for instant viewing.
While Netflix argued that the Americans with Disabilities Act applied only in physical structures, the court ruled that it also applies to the Internet.
This article was also published in Bay Area Tech Wire.
Related links:
San Francisco Chronicle – Netflix may have to provide closed captions online
Boston Globe – US judge rules Netflix subject to disability act
Consumerist – Judge Allows Closed-Captioning Lawsuit Against Netflix To Proceed
National Association for the Deaf – NAD.org
Photo by Flickr user daveynin, used under Creative Commons license
