Last mentioned: Mar 25, 2026
Supreme Court Final Decision
The Supreme Court rules in favor of the ISP, limiting secondary liability for music downloads.
Final Ruling
The Supreme Court issues its final decision in favor of the ISP.
Supreme Court Ruling
The Supreme Court issues its final decision shielding ISPs from liability for user downloads.
Charter-Cox Merger Approval
The FCC grants permission for Charter to acquire Cox Communications.
Supreme Court Review
The U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear the case to clarify ISP liability.
Appellate Court Ruling
The 4th Circuit vacates the $1B award but maintains that Cox could be liable for contributory infringement.
Appeals Court Ruling
An appeals court vacates the $1 billion award but maintains the liability finding.
Appellate Reversal
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals reverses the vicarious liability portion of the Cox verdict.
Initial Jury Verdict
A jury orders Cox Communications to pay $1 billion to record labels for failing to stop piracy.
Initial Verdict
A jury awards music labels $1 billion in damages against Cox Communications.
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.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Internet Service Providers are not legally responsible for the illegal music downloads of their subscribers. The decision provides a critical shield for ISPs against billions in potential copyright infringement damages.
The Supreme Court has ruled that Internet Service Providers are not vicariously liable for illegal music downloads by their subscribers, providing a major victory for the telecommunications industry. The decision reinforces DMCA safe harbor protections and removes a multi-billion dollar legal threat from ISP balance sheets.