A Virginia jury ruled on Thursday that Cox Communications must pay a whopping $ 1 billion to several music publisher because the telecom party did n’t take enough action at law to kibosh its customers from pirating music .

AsBillboardandVarietyreport , Sony Music , Universal Music Group , Warner Music Group , and fifty other music publishers filed a lawsuit against Cox in July of 2018 alleging that the provider “ advisedly refused to take reasonable standard ” to stop at least 20,000 customers from committing repeated routine of right of first publication infraction . The complaint cited 10,017 call that were allegedly pirated through Cox ’s service .

A jury for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia settle that Cox was unresistant for the piracy and that each infringementshould be the society $ 99,830.29 .

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Screenshot: Cox Communications (YouTube)

National Music Publishers Association CEO and United States President David Israelite told Variety in a statement that “ Cox had the right field and ability to keep the continued harm to medicine Divine and it chose its own profits over complying with the law , ” adding that the billion - dollar penalization “ serve as a warning to those who willingly turn a blind heart and enable their users to share music illicitly . ”

https://gizmodo.com/verizon-other-isps-wont-say-how-badly-they-plan-to-fuc-1821485436

In a public statement , Cox call the decision “ unwarranted , unjust and an egregious amount , ” and say it will appeal .

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

“ Today , you may download a birdcall for a dollar . This verdict is for nearly $ 100,000 per song , ” Cox ’s affirmation take . “ Unfortunately , some client have choose to use that connection for wrongful activity . We do n’t excuse it , we educate on it and we do our just to aid curb it , but we should n’t be bear creditworthy for the bad activity of others . ”

TechDirtechoed Cox ’s bafflement at the conclusion , call it “ harebrained , ” “ absurd , ” and “ out of touch with realism . ”

But we may see more rulings in fount like this . In March the same clump of music companiessued Charter Communicationsfor well-nigh the exact same affair .

William Duplessie

While the opinion seems outlandish enough to be overturned on solicitation , it could still prompt flighty telecommunication lawyers to insist on increased levels of right of first publication enforcement for customers . pirate ship watch your backs out there .

Music

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