By Devon Dwyer, ABC News | As billions of people worldwide use the internet to illegally stream or download copyrighted material like music, movies and TV shows, the entertainment industry is trying to crack down on American internet service providers for complicity in the alleged crimes of their customers.
A major case before the Supreme Court on Monday could determine whether those providers can be held financially liable to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars for “contributing” to copyright infringement if they fail to cut off internet access to any account suspected of engaging in piracy.
Cox Communications, the third largest broadband provider in the U.S. and a party in the case, faces a $1 billion penalty awarded by a jury to Sony Music Entertainment and other media companies that sued over the distribution of pirated content online. It was upheld by a federal appeals court.
The company is asking the justices to toss out the verdict and put limits on contributory liability.
If the judgment is upheld, Cox says it could go bankrupt, potentially eliminating internet access entirely in some communities and leading to “mass evictions from the internet” in places where piracy has been suspected, such as “homes, barracks, hospitals, and hotels upon bare accusation.”
Cox says it opposes copyright infringement and takes steps to prevent it, but that it cannot be held responsible for the actions of individual users, who are impossible to pinpoint and trace.
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