Time Warner wins order blocking DirecTV ads

Satellite TV company DirecTV Group Inc. was ordered not to broadcast ads in which Jessica Simpson or William Shatner tout the company’s high-definition service as superior to Time Warner Cable’s.

Time Warner Inc.’s cable unit sued in December, claiming that El Segundo-based DirecTV engaged in false advertising on television and the Internet. Stamford, Conn.-based Time Warner Cable, the second-largest U.S. cable provider, sought to block DirecTV from making negative comments about the picture and audio quality of its HDTV service.

U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain in New York issued the order, a preliminary injunction, saying it was likely that Time Warner would win the case.