TV companies have filed proceedings with the High Court at Auckland over Global Mode.

Television companies say they have filed legal proceedings over the access internet provider CallPlus, and Bypass Network Services, have been providing to overseas online television.

MediaWorks, Sky Television, Spark subsidiary Lightbox and Television New Zealand said in a joint statement that they had applied for an "expedited hearing" to determine the legality of Global Mode.

Global Mode is a service developed by Bypass which helps customers of CallPlus' Slingshot, Orcon and Flip internet brands subscribe to services such as the United States version of Netflix, which are supposed to be blocked in New Zealand for copyright reasons.

The television companies say the service undermines the value of exclusive New Zealand rights to programming they have paid for.

Sky spokeswoman Kirsty Way said the companies had applied for a declaratory ruling from the High Court at Auckland. If Global Mode was found to be illegal then they would be looking for "a permanent injunction and the ability to seek some compensation", she said.

Bypass and CallPlus have said they believe Global Mode is legal and Way has previously acknowledged the legal action will be a test case.

The dispute could shape the future of television entertainment in New Zealand as it will help determine whether exclusive territorial rights obtained by television companies to show overseas television series and films in New Zealand can be effectively enforced.

"We are seeking to protect our legitimate copyrighted content. CallPlus and Bypass Network Services are breaching this by creating a platform that is designed to access unlicensed content," the television companies said in a joint statement.

"Based on the responses we have received it is clear they intend to continue operating Global Mode so the only way forward is to seek clarification from the courts," they said, adding they were confident of their legal position.

Consumer NZ chief executive Sue Chetwin said last week that the axing of Global Mode would be a great loss that would protect "old distribution models". Bypass has argued that Global Mode can help reduce piracy.

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A Whangarei man, Kim Robinson, has filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission over the television companies' legal threat.

Robinson, who is deaf, said services such as Global Mode could help tens of thousands of people with hearing and vision disabilities enjoy programmes that were transmitted overseas with captions for the deaf and audio descriptions for the blind.