US EditionSupreme Court sides with Cox Communications in a copyright fight with record labels over downloads
The Court ruled Cox lacked intent to encourage piracy despite 163,148 infringement notices and overturned a $1 billion verdict against the ISP for user copyright violations.
- On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled Cox Communications cannot be held liable for subscriber copyright infringement, reversing lower court rulings and nullifying a $1 billion verdict that clarified internet service provider liability standards.
- Sony Music Entertainment and other major record labels sued Cox in 2018, alleging the ISP failed to terminate repeat infringers; a Virginia jury initially awarded the labels $1 billion in damages for contributory infringement.
- Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that Cox 'neither induced its users' infringement nor provided a service tailored to infringement,' emphasizing that mere knowledge of piracy is insufficient to establish the intent required for contributory liability.
- The Recording Industry Association of America expressed disappointment, stating the ruling undermines protections for creators, while Cox called the decision a 'decisive victory' preventing ISPs from being forced to act as 'copyright police.'
- Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, concurred but warned the ruling 'unnecessarily limits secondary liability,' shifting pressure toward rights holders to pursue direct suits or seek new legislative action.
173 Articles
173 Articles
Supreme Court Will Not Hold Cox Liable in Billion Dollar Music Piracy Case
The Supreme Court has ruled against the music industry in a case against Cox Communications. The case began in 2019, with major labels including Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Group coming together and filed a lawsuit against Cox. The labels said that Cox was liable for its customers violating music copyrights […] The post Supreme Court Will Not Hold Cox Liable in Billion Dollar Music Piracy Case appeared first…
The Supreme Court showed it is scared its going to break the internet in Cox v. Sony
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the majority opinion tossing out a billion-dollar verdict against an internet service provider in the case Cox Communications v. Sony Music Entertainment. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/Bloomberg via Getty Images The Supreme Court tossed out a billion-dollar verdict against an internet service provider (ISP) on Wednesday, in a closely watched case that could have severely damaged many Americans’ access to the inte…
Court rejects billion-dollar judgment for copyright infringement by internet service provider
Yesterday’s unanimous decision in Cox Communications v. Sony Entertainment surprised no one who observed the argument, which had suggested a bench deeply skeptical of a billion-plus dollar judgment imposed on Cox Communications, an internet service provider, based on the infringing activities of its subscribers. As expected, the opinion for the court brusquely rejected that judgment. The case presents yet another chapter in the decades-long effo…
Unanimous Supreme Court says internet service provider not liable for internet users’ illegal downloads
Sometimes, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide a big case and almost everybody will seem to take notice. Other times, however, the Court will decide a major case and practically nobody will seem to notice, except for a small subset of experts, practitioners, and all-purpose SCOTUS nerds. I think it is probably safe to say that yesterday's important decision in Cox Communications v. Sony Music Entertainment falls within the latter category. Cox v.…
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