• The US Supreme Court ruled in favor of Cox Communications, finding that ISPs are not liable for customers’ copyright infringement under the DMCA.
  • The ruling overturned a $1 billion verdict against Cox and found that Cox did not induce infringement or tailor its service for that purpose.
  • Sony, Warner, and Universal have dropped similar lawsuits against other ISPs like Verizon and Altice.
  • The decision broadly applies to technology providers, including Google, Meta, X, and Nvidia, who have already cited it in their defense.
  • According to Justice Thomas’s opinion, contributory liability requires intent that the service be used for infringement, shown only by inducement or tailoring.
  • The ruling relies on precedents from the Betamax (1984) and Grokster (2005) cases.

Sources & Links