February 5, 2024
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As reported by Reuters and BNN Breaking, Warner Music, Sony Music and their subsidiaries (the “Major Music Labels”) have reportedly filed a lawsuit against Altice USA (“Altice”), accusing Altice of knowingly contributing to mass copyright infringement by its subscribers. Altice is the fourth largest US internet service provider (ISP).
The Major Music Labels reportedly allege that Altice purposefully ignored and turned a blind eye to subscribers’ using Altice’s internet services to “illegally download, copy and distribute” the Major Music Labels' copyrighted music through file-sharing services such as BitTorrent. The Major Music Labels are seeking damages of up to $150,000 for each work that was infringed.
This is not the first lawsuit where music labels have sought similar relief against internet service providers. In 2019, music labels won a billion-dollar judgment against Cox Communications for willful copyright infringement. That decision is currently under appeal.
Authors: Noor Sakran and Yaseen Manan
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