10:40 AM EDT, 03/25/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The US Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned an appeals court ruling upholding a lower court ruling that found Cox Communications liable for copyright infringement in a suit brought by Sony Group's ( SONY ) Sony Music Entertainment.

Sony Music and other major copyright owners secured a billion-dollar verdict against Cox, which was originally found liable because it continued to provide known copyright infringers with internet access, Justice Clarence Thomas said in his opinion for the court.

"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," Thomas said. "Accordingly, we reverse."

Sony ( SONY ) and Cox Communications didn't immediately reply to requests for comment from MT Newswires.

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