Intervening Law Spares Netflix, Hulu From Indiana Franchise Fees

Netflix Inc., Hulu LLC, and other streaming giants don’t owe video service franchise fees to Indiana cities, a state appeals court ruled Friday, affirming dismissal of a proposed class action.

The trial court dismissed the case based on an amendment to the Video Service Franchises Act passed by the state legislature while the lawsuit was pending that explicitly exempted streaming services from the fee. The amendment doesn’t violate the state constitution’s requirements that a bill can only have a single subject and must apply generally, Judge Paul A. Felix wrote for the Indiana Court of Appeals.

• Fishers, Ind., ...