By Julian Mark, washingtonpost.com, 3-25-26
The Supreme Court ruled March 25 that internet service providers are generally not responsible for the illegal distribution and downloading of music on their services, a blow to the music recording industry’s efforts to curb online piracy.
The unanimous decision means that Cox Communications will probably not have to pay a huge judgment in a case brought by dozens of music companies, including Sony Music Entertainment. They had alleged that Cox did little to stop users from exchanging copyrighted music by scores of famous artists, including Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, and Britney Spears.
The court carved out an exception if a provider “induced the infringement” or created a service specifically to pirate music.
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the majority opinion and read from the bench on March 25. » Read More