Supreme Court rules for Cox in Sony copyright fight over music downloads

The Hill
by Zach Schonfeld
March 25, 2026
3 min read

Quick Insights

The Bottom Line

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that internet service providers cannot be held liable for customers' illegal music downloads.

How This Affects You

Music piracy enforcement may shift from targeting ISPs to pursuing individual users directly, though the long-term effect on your internet costs or services is unclear.

AI Summary

The Supreme Court unanimously sided with Cox Communications on Wednesday, ruling that Sony cannot hold the company liable for failing to disconnect customers engaged in illegal music downloads. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that a lower court erred in imposing damages on Cox for inadequate enforcement of its copyright infringement policies. The decision shields internet service providers from responsibility for policing customer conduct on their networks, a major win for the telecom industry that faced potential liability for piracy occurring on their platforms. The ruling could reshape how copyright holders pursue enforcement against ISPs and affects the music industry's ability to combat digital piracy through legal action against service providers rather than individual users. The case underscores the tension between copyright protection and ISP liability — a question with broad implications for how online infringement is policed going forward.

Should this be getting more attention?

You Might Have Missed

Related stories from different sources and perspectives

US Supreme Court backs Cox in fight over pirated music - Reuters
Corporate

US Supreme Court backs Cox in fight over pirated music - Reuters

<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMixgFBVV95cUxPenJwdmpCQzNoWDFnekVRcDBrU29hb3ZQLVJyb0NfQVZYY2VYYk9BbGJ0TWhpYXV4SExTcDlfU3ZDLVlFZmZFaXBjNS1lMXI4dTM2eEZlQVU3ektXXzVJbThwWll3NTZjRk9WS08xTXlsMlRVRkhHQk84S3U2NnZTdTlsSnFWNTdLaVdUYVB6S3hHbGJzejlXbWRnS1VWOGU0QUNZeVRBOHpONEV5N1lqNmtzdnBkbGVadHk0SFR3RkRxZTMtSWc?oc=5" target="_blank">US Supreme Court backs Cox in fight over pirated music</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">Reuters</font>

ReutersMar 25
Supreme Court sides with Cox in copyright battle with record labels
Corporate

Supreme Court sides with Cox in copyright battle with record labels

The Supreme Court has sided with internet service provider Cox Communications in its copyright fight with record labels over illegal music downloads.

PBS NewsHourMar 25
Supreme Court Sides With Internet Provider in Copyright Fight Over Pirated Music
Corporate

Supreme Court Sides With Internet Provider in Copyright Fight Over Pirated Music

Leading music labels sued Cox Communications for failing to terminate accounts of subscribers flagged for distributing copyrighted music.

New York TimesMar 25
Supreme Court sides with internet provider in dispute over pirated music
Corporate

Supreme Court sides with internet provider in dispute over pirated music

The Supreme Court ruled that internet service provider Cox Communications cannot be held liable for copyright infringement by its subscribers.

CBS NewsMar 25
Supreme Court Sides With Internet Provider in Copyright Fight Over Pirated Music - The New York Times
Technology

Supreme Court Sides With Internet Provider in Copyright Fight Over Pirated Music - The New York Times

The New York TimesMar 25
Supreme Court conservatives grapple with ‘metering’ rules in key immigration case
Politics

Supreme Court conservatives grapple with ‘metering’ rules in key immigration case

The Supreme Court debated Tuesday whether the government can turn back asylum-seekers attempting to reach a port of entry, a practice that originated in the Obama administration that President Trump now wants the right to potentially restore.  Known as “metering,” border officials would turn back migrants before they could physically cross the border. The policy…

The HillMar 24
Read Next
Jury orders Meta and Google to pay woman $6 million in social media addiction trial
Corporate

Jury orders Meta and Google to pay woman $6 million in social media addiction trial

The verdict marks the end of<strong> </strong>the first-ever jury trial<strong> </strong>over whether tech giants should be held accountable for social media addiction. It may influence the outcome of 2,000 other pending lawsuits.

Continue reading

Did this story change how you see things?

Stories like this only matter when people see them. Help us get verified journalism in front of more eyes.

Share this story

Get the daily digest

Save for later

The Verity Ledger curates verified investigative journalism from trusted sources only.

See our sources