RIAA, NMPA back labels in Cox Supreme Court fight
Music industry organizations submitted legal documents on Tuesday in support of record labels in their Supreme Court case against Cox Communications. The Recording Industry Association of America and the National Music Publishers Association filed a 30-page brief arguing that the internet provider knowingly helped customers steal protected songs. Cox faces a multibillion-dollar verdict after lower courts found the company ignored repeated copyright violations by subscribers.
The industry groups claim Cox created fake procedures to appear compliant with federal law while actually taking no action against users who downloaded music illegally. An old employee message dismissing copyright rules continues to serve as evidence of the company’s attitude toward intellectual property protections. Multiple film and songwriter organizations filed similar briefs asking judges to maintain penalties against internet providers who fail to stop customer theft.
A copyright law professor suggested courts should apply traditional legal principles when evaluating whether service providers share responsibility for user misconduct. The December arguments will determine how much responsibility internet companies bear when customers use their networks to violate copyright laws. The outcome could affect enforcement efforts across the entertainment industry.
