Because Locast streamed local TV for free, it held that it was a nonprofit and used a legal loophole in copyright law, claiming it can stream the networks of ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox without paying them. The owners of the country’s major broadcast networks sued Locast in 2019 over copyright violation, asking that it be shut down.

A federal judge in New York ruled that Locast isn’t protected by the exemption because it makes money through users who pay $5 a month for an ad-free experience. Those who don’t pay are given an ad every 15 minutes asking for money.

The judge said that Locast was effectively charging its users and using that money to expand its service, which is a violation of copyright law.

Locast agreed to suspend its streaming services in accordance with the judge’s ruling. Local television from major broadcasting networks is still available for free through different mediums, while specialized streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu require monthly subscriptions.

For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.

The companies that own ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox make billions annually in fees from cable companies who pay to include them in TV packages.

The digital rights organization Electronic Frontier Foundation, which has defended Locast in court, said the judge “interpreted the law in an artificially narrow way” and that Locast was fulfilling Congress’ mission to make sure that Americans had access to their local broadcast stations.

Locast has been around for years but flew under the radar as new streaming services emerged that grabbed people’s attention.

“As a nonprofit, Locast was designed from the very beginning to operate in accordance with the strict letter of the law, but in response to the court’s recent rulings, with which we respectfully disagree, we are hereby suspending operations, effective immediately,” a press release Thursday from the company said.

The legal case will continue, including an appeal, to resolve the remaining issues, said EFF attorney Mitch Stoltz. He did not specify what those issues are.

The major broadcast networks are also available free in other ways, like with a TV antenna, which you can buy for under $10.

An attorney for the TV networks did not immediately respond.

Disney owns ABC, ViacomCBS owns CBS, Comcast’s NBCUniversal owns NBC and Fox Corp. owns Fox.