Last mentioned: Mar 25, 2026
Supreme Court Ruling
The Supreme Court issues its final decision shielding ISPs from liability for user downloads.
Appellate Reversal
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals reverses the vicarious liability portion of the Cox verdict.
Initial $1B Verdict
A jury initially finds Cox Communications liable for $1 billion in damages to music labels.
DMCA Enacted
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act establishes 'Safe Harbor' for online service providers.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Internet Service Providers are not legally responsible for illegal music downloads by their users. This decision reinforces the 'mere conduit' status of infrastructure providers, offering significant legal protection to the broader SaaS and Cloud sectors.