Supreme Court Clears Cox in $1 Billion Copyright Case, Shielding ISPs and Tech Platforms
Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · May 8
Supreme Court Clears Cox in $1 Billion Copyright Case, Shielding ISPs and Tech Platforms
10 articles · Updated · Ars Technica · May 8
A unanimous Supreme Court ruling on March 25 held Cox Communications not liable under the DMCA for customers who used its broadband service to pirate music, wiping out the threat of a new damages trial.
The court said Cox neither induced infringement nor tailored its internet service for piracy, rejecting the contributory infringement theory that had survived after a 2024 appeals ruling.
Sony, Warner and Universal had sought to revive a case that produced a $1 billion jury verdict in 2019 before that damages award was overturned on appeal.
Record labels have since dropped similar suits against Verizon and Altice, and defendants including Google, Meta, X, Nvidia and Yout are already citing the Cox decision in lower-court copyright fights.
The Supreme Court just redefined online liability. Does this ruling make the Digital Millennium Copyright Act obsolete?
With internet providers shielded from user piracy, are AI developers now safe when their models generate copyrighted material?
Supreme Court’s 2026 Cox v. Sony Ruling Narrows ISP Copyright Liability, Reverses $1 Billion Judgment
Overview
The Supreme Court's unanimous decision in Cox Communications, Inc. v. Sony Music Entertainment on March 25, 2026, marked a turning point for internet service provider (ISP) copyright liability. The case began when over 50 music labels sued Cox, claiming it failed to stop widespread copyright infringement by its users. The main issue was whether Cox took 'reasonable measures' to address these violations, as required by U.S. law to avoid liability. The Court found Cox not liable and introduced a narrower standard for contributory infringement, providing ISPs with clearer protection and reshaping how copyright enforcement will work in the digital age.