In a major loss for the nation’s music industry, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that a major internet service provider is not liable for copyright infringement because it failed to kick known copyright violators off its network.
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion for a unanimous court.
The nation’s largest record labels want to hold internet providers liable for copyright infringement because they declined to cut off online access to users they know are downloading bootlegged music.
The music companies hold the rights to many of America’s most recognizable singers and songwriters, including Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, Eminem, Eric Clapton and Gloria Estefan.
“Under our precedents, a company is not liable as a copyright infringer for merely providing a service to the general public with knowledge that it will be used by some to infringe copyrights,” Thomas wrote.
A jury initially awarded Sony Music Entertainment and other record companies a $1 billion verdict against Cox Communications for the infringement of more than 10,000 copyrighted works. While a federal appeals court nixed that award, it nevertheless held that Cox could be held indirectly liable for contributing to infringement on a massive scale.
https://lite.cnn.com/2026/03/25/politics/music-industry-internet-supreme-court