Aug 15 (Reuters) - Internet service provider Cox

Communications asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to

review a ruling that held the company responsible for its users'

music piracy and led to a $1 billion verdict for a group of

major record labels against the ISP.

Cox argued that the decision to hold it liable for piracy of

thousands of songs from labels including Sony Music,

Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group ( WMG )

had created "confusion, disruption, and chaos on the internet,"

according to a copy of the petition provided by the company.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in February upheld

part of a jury verdict that Cox committed secondary copyright

infringement by failing to address user piracy, while also

throwing out a $1 billion award for the labels and ordering a

new trial to redetermine the amount of damages that Cox owed for

the infringement.

"We look forward to responding to Cox's petition, which on

first read is substantively meritless," the labels' attorney

Matt Oppenheim of Oppenheim + Zebrak said. Oppenheim said that

the labels would file their own Supreme Court challenge on

Friday seeking to reinstate the billion-dollar verdict.

Cox spokesperson Todd Smith said its Supreme Court petition

"aims to protect users' privacy and avoid unintended

consequences that will harm innocent and non-infringing

consumers."

More than 50 labels teamed up to sue Cox in 2018. They

accused Cox of failing to address thousands of infringement

notices, cut off access for repeat infringers or take reasonable

measures to deter pirates.

A Virginia jury found in 2019 that Cox owed $1 billion in

damages for its customers' violations of more than 10,000 music

copyrights.

The 4th Circuit said in February that the award could not

stand, reversing part of the infringement verdict and remanding

the case for a new trial on damages. Cox told the Supreme Court

on Wednesday that it should not be liable for infringement at

all.

Cox said that it could only avoid liability under the lower

court decisions by terminating internet service for "entire

households, coffee shops, hospitals, universities, and even

regional - the internet lifeline for tens of thousands of

homes and businesses - merely because some unidentified person

was previously alleged to have used the connection to infringe."

Read more:

Cox to pay $1 billion to music labels, publishers over

piracy infringement

Cox Communications wins order overturning $1 billion US

copyright verdict

Cox, music labels lose bid for new appeal in billion-dollar

copyright case

(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington)