WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on March 25 ruled against the music industry’s effort to punish internet service providers who allow users to illegally copy and share content.
The justices said a lower court erred when it found Cox Communications liable for steep damages after it continued to provide internet service to customers who had been flagged repeatedly for piracy.
"Cox did not tailor its service to make copyright infringement easier," Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in the unanimous decision. "Cox simply provided Internet access, which is used for many purposes other than copyright infringement."
Cox argued the standard used by the lower court would leave them no choice but to cut off internet access to large account holders such as universities, hospitals and even entire towns to avoid massive judgements.
But Sony Music Entertainment and a host of other leading recording companies and music publishers said Cox helped 60,000 customers distribute more than 10,000 copyrighted works for free, contributing to a problem that robs the industry of billions of dollars yearly.
