1
 Time Warner Inc. is considering a legal challenge to Tele-Communications Inc. 's plan
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 to buy half of Showtime Networks Inc.,
1
elaboration-object-attribute-e

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 a move
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 that could lead to all-out war between the cable industry's two most powerful players.
3
elaboration-object-attribute-e

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 Time is also fighting the transaction on other fronts,
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 by attempting to discourage other cable operators from joining Tele-Communications as investors in Showtime,
5
elaboration-general-specific

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 cable-TV industry executives say.
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attribution

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 Time officials declined to comment.
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antithesis

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 Last week, Tele-Communications agreed to pay Viacom Inc. $225 million for a 50% stake in its Showtime subsidiary,
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 which is a distant second to Time's Home Box Office in the delivery of pay-TV networks to cable subscribers.
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elaboration-additional-e

11
 Tele-Communications, the U.S.'s largest cable company, said 
12
attribution

12
it may seek other cable partners to join in its investment.
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 Tele-Communications is HBO's largest customer,
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 and the two have a number of other business relationships.
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elaboration-additional

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 Earlier this year, Time even discussed bringing Tele-Communications in as an investor in HBO,
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 executives at both companies said.
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attribution

17
 The purchase of the Showtime stake is a direct slap in our face, 
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said one senior Time executive.
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attribution

19
 Time is expected to mount a legal challenge in U.S. District Court in New York,
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 where Viacom in May filed a $2.5 billion antitrust suit
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 charging Time and HBO with monopolizing the pay-TV business and trying to crush competition from Showtime.
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 Executives
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 involved in plotting Time's defense 
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say 
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it is now preparing a countersuit
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 naming both Viacom and Tele-Communications as defendants.
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 The executives say 
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Time may seek to break up the transaction 
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29
after it is consummated,
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 or may seek constraints
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 that would prevent Tele-Communications from dropping HBO in any of its cable systems in favor of Showtime.
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 Viacom officials declined to comment.
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antithesis

33
 Jerome Kern, Tele-Communications' chief outside counsel, said 
34
attribution

34
he wasn't aware of Time's legal plans.
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 But he said 
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that any effort by Time 
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to characterize the Tele-Communications investment in Showtime as anti-competitive 
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would be the pot
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 calling the kettle black.
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 It's hard to see how an investment by the largest {cable operator} in the weaker of the two networks is anti-competitive,
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41
 when the stronger of the two networks is owned by the second largest cable operator,
40
explanation-argumentative

42
 Mr. Kern said.
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attribution

43
 In addition to owning HBO, with 22 million subscribers,
5041
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44
 Time Warner separately operates cable-TV system 
5040
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45
serving about 5.6 million cable-TV subscribers.
44
elaboration-object-attribute-e

46
 Tele-Communications controls close to 12 million cable subscribers,
5042
Comparison

47
 and Viacom has about one million.
5042
Comparison

48
 In its suit against Time, Viacom says 
49
attribution

49
the ownership of both cable systems and cable-programming networks gives the company too much market power.
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50
 Time argues 
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that
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 in joining up with Tele-Communications,
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 Viacom has potentially more power,
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 particularly since Viacom also owns cable networks MTV, VH-1 and Nick at Nite.
53
reason

55
 Ironically, Tele-Communications and Time have often worked closely in the cable business.
5056
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56
 Together, they control nearly 40% of Turner Broadcasting Systems Inc.;
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57
 Tele-Communications has a 21.8% stake,
5054
Comparison

58
 while Time Warner has a 17.8% stake.
5054
Comparison

59
 But since Time's merger with Warner Communications Inc., relations between the two have become strained.
5057
span

60
 Each company worries
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attribution

61
 that the other is becoming too powerful
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List

62
 and too vertically integrated.
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63
 Meanwhile, some legal observers say 
64
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the Tele-Communications investment and other developments are weakening Viacom's antitrust suit against Time.
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65
 Viacom accuses Time in its suit of refusing to carry Showtime or a sister service, The Movie Channel, on Time's Manhattan Cable TV system, one of the nation's largest urban systems.
5063
concession

66
 But yesterday, Manhattan Cable announced 
67
attribution

67
it will launch Showtime on Nov. 1 to over 230,000 subscribers.
5063
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68
 Showtime has also accused HBO of locking up the lion's share of Hollywood's movies
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69
 by signing exclusive contracts with all the major studios.
68
means

70
 But Showtime has continued to sign new contracts with Hollywood studios,
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71
 and yesterday announced 
5067
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it will buy movies from Columbia Pictures Entertainment Inc.,
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 which currently has a non-exclusive arrangement with HBO.
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circumstance

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concession

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elaboration-object-attribute-e

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attribution

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Disjunction

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Disjunction

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elaboration-general-specific

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elaboration-additional

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background

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antithesis

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elaboration-additional

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Comparison

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Comparison

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Contrast

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multinuc
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elaboration-additional

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elaboration-set-member

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elaboration-general-specific

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antithesis

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circumstance

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concession

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evidence

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List

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List

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explanation-argumentative

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elaboration-additional

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elaboration-additional

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