The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with Cox Communications in a copyright dispute with major record labels over illegal music downloads by the internet provider’s customers.
In a unanimous ruling, the justices said Cox is not liable for its customers’ copyright violations, overturning a jury verdict and lower‑court decisions. Writing for the court, Justice Clarence Thomas said Cox “neither induced its users’ infringement nor provided a service tailored to infringement,” while acknowledging that record labels have struggled to protect copyrights in the era of online music sharing.
The lawsuit, led by Sony Music Entertainment, accused Cox of failing to adequately deter or disconnect customers who repeatedly downloaded music without paying for it. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had partially upheld the jury’s finding of liability but tossed out a damages award exceeding $1 billion.
Cox, which provides internet service to more than 6 million homes and businesses across more than a dozen states, warned that a ruling against it could have led to widespread service disruptions. The company said it could be forced to cut off internet access to households, hospitals, universities and coffee shops based on only a small number of infringement allegations.
This is a breaking news article. Updates to follow.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
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