3 Count: ISP Battles

Have any suggestions for the 3 Count? Let me know via Twitter @plagiarismtoday.

1: ISP to Supreme Court: We Shouldn’t Have to Disconnect Users Accused of Piracy

First off today, Jon Brodkin at Ars Technica reports that the internet service provider (ISP) Cox Communications has petitioned the Supreme Court seeking to have a judgment of contributory copyright infringement overturned.

A group of music companies filed the lawsuit, claiming Cox did not take strong enough action against customers who pirated music on its service. In December 2019, a jury awarded the music companies $1 billion in damages. However, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a part of that ruling, setting the stage for a new trial on damages alone.

However, Sony has filed a petition with the Supreme Court to dismiss the contributory copyright infringement claim. Cox argues that disconnecting customers who allegedly pirate shouldn’t be required. However, the rightsholders claim that Cox openly flouted the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), including its obligations under the law.

2: Altice Settles $1bn Copyright Infringement Lawsuit With Music Industry Giants

Next up today, Mandy Dalugdug at Music Business Worldwide reports that Altice USA, the company that owns the ISP Optimum, has reached a settlement with a group of music companies over allegations that they also failed to take adequate action to prevent piracy on their service.

The lawsuit, which included BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Group and Capitol Records, was originally filed in December 2022. The damages could have been as high as $1.6 billion. However, the lawsuit has been settled, and the case has been dismissed with prejudice.

The company still faces a separate lawsuit from Warner and Sony, which it claims it will vigorously defend. The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, but they were confirmed in recent Altice financial filings.

3: Isaac Hayes estate moves forward with copyright infringement lawsuit against Donald Trump campaign

Finally, today, Angelina Velasquez at Revolt reports that Isaac Hayes’ estate has filed a lawsuit against presidential candidate Donald Trump and his campaign over the use of Hayes’ music at campaign events.

On August 11, the estate sent the campaign a cease-and-desist letter demanding that it stop using Hayes’ music and pay a “discounted” licensing fee. The estate gave the campaign six days to comply, which it failed to do so.

As such, the estate says it has filed the case, targeting both Trump himself and various groups affiliated with his campaign.

The 3 Count Logo was created by Justin Goff and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.