Cox Communications, Inc. v. Sony Music Entertainment

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Cox Communications, Inc. v. Sony Music Entertainment | |
Docket number: 24-171 | |
Term: 2025 | |
Court: United States Supreme Court | |
Important dates | |
Pending | |
Court membership | |
Chief Justice John Roberts • Clarence Thomas • Samuel Alito • Sonia Sotomayor • Elena Kagan • Neil Gorsuch • Brett Kavanaugh • Amy Coney Barrett • Ketanji Brown Jackson |
Cox Communications, Inc. v. Sony Music Entertainment is a case scheduled for argument before the Supreme Court of the United States during the court's October 2025-2026 term.
Did the Fourth Circuit err in holding that a service provider can be held liable for ‘materially contributing’ to copyright infringement merely because it knew that people were using certain accounts to infringe and did not terminate access, without proof that the service provider affirmatively fostered infringement or otherwise intended to promote it?
2. Generally, a defendant cannot be held liable as a willful violator of the law-and subject to increased penalties-without proof that it knew or recklessly disregarded a high risk that its own conduct was illegal. In conflict with the Eighth Circuit, the Fourth Circuit upheld an instruction allowing the jury to find willfulness if Cox knew its subscribers' conduct was illegal-without proof Cox knew its own conduct in not terminating them was illegal.
Did the Fourth Circuit err in holding that mere knowledge of another's direct infringement suffices to find willfulness under 17 U.S.C. § 504(c)? "[1]
The case came on a writ of certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. To review the lower court's opinion, click here.
Background
Timeline
The following timeline details key events in this case:
- June 30, 2025: The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case.
- May 28, 2024: Cox Communications, Inc., et al. appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
- February 20, 2024: The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed in part, reversed in part, vacated in part, and remanded the opinion of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Questions presented
The petitioner presented the following questions to the court:[1]
Questions presented:
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Oral argument
Audio
Audio of the case will be posted here when it is made available.
Transcript
A transcript of the case will be posted here when it is made available.
Outcome
The case is pending adjudication before the U.S. Supreme Court.
October term 2025-2026
The Supreme Court will begin hearing cases for the term on October 6, 2025. The court's yearly term begins on the first Monday in October and lasts until the first Monday in October the following year. The court generally releases the majority of its decisions by mid-June.[3]
See also
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- U.S. Supreme Court docket file - Cox Communications, Inc. v. Sony Music Entertainment (petitions, motions, briefs, opinions, and attorneys)
- SCOTUSblog case file for Cox Communications, Inc. v. Sony Music Entertainment
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Supreme Court of the United States, "24-171 COX COMMUNICATIONS, INC. V. SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT QP", June 30, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ SupremeCourt.gov, "The Supreme Court at Work: The Term and Caseload," accessed January 24, 2022