WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Cox Communications cannot be held liable for the copyright violations of its customers. The decision reversed a jury verdict and lower-court rulings against the internet service provider in a case brought by major record labels.

Writing for the court, Justice Clarence Thomas stated that "Cox neither induced its users' infringement nor provided a service tailored to infringement." He continued, "Under our precedents, a company is not liable as a copyright infringer for merely providing a service to the general public with knowledge that it will be used by some to infringe copyrights. Accordingly, we reverse."

Thomas further explained the court's reasoning: "Cox provided internet service to its subscribers, but it did not intend for that service to be used to commit copyright infringement. Holding Cox liable merely for failing to terminate internet service to infringing accounts would expand secondary copyright liability beyond our precedents."

Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music initially sued Cox Communications in 2018 after it was sent tens of thousands of notices flagging infringement of copyrighted songs. The lawsuit alleged that Cox Communications did not do enough to deter or cut off customers who downloaded music they did not pay for.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit partially upheld a jury verdict against Cox Communications but threw out its award of more than $1 billion. The Fourth Circuit directed a federal district court to hold a new trial to determine an appropriate amount of damages.

Cox Communications provides internet service to more than 6 million homes and businesses in more than a dozen states. The company had warned it could face widespread disruptions in internet access if the Supreme Court ruled against it, saying it could be required to terminate access for households, hospitals, universities and coffee shops based on accusations of infringement.

In response to the ruling, Cox Communications said: "The Supreme Court's unanimous opinion is a decisive victory for the broadband industry and for the American people who depend on reliable internet service. This opinion affirms that Internet service providers are not copyright police and should not be held liable for the actions of their customers — and after years of battling in the trial and appellate courts, we have definitively shut down the music industry's aspirations of mass evictions from the internet."

Mitch Glazier, RIAA chairman and CEO, expressed disappointment with the decision: "We are disappointed in the Court's decision vacating a jury's determination that Cox Communications contributed to mass scale copyright infringement, based on overwhelming evidence that the company knowingly facilitated theft. To be effective, copyright law must protect creators and markets from harmful infringement and policymakers should look closely at the impact of this ruling. The Court's decision is narrow, applying only to contributory infringement cases involving defendants like Cox that do not themselves copy, host, distribute, or publish infringing material or control or induce such activity."