The Stakes of Cox v. Sony: Why Copyright Law Could Break the Internet

A battle over copyright law at the U.S. Supreme Court could cause Americans to lose their Internet access. That's not an exaggeration. It's the central issue in Cox v. Sony, where a bad ruling could mean a local library or a child's school could go dark over a single copyright allegation.

The Court is deciding if Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can be forced to terminate a customer's Internet service for alleged copyright infringement. If the lower court's ruling is upheld, ISPs would be incentivized to police what you do online to avoid the risk of crippling damages.

This would hit real people and communities, hard. Consider Wave 7 Communications, a small family-run ISP in Enfield, North Carolina, that provides a vital connection for over 70 households and the local library. Under the ruling below, a single allegation against one library patron could force the ISP to disconnect the entire library—or risk being sued out of existence.

We at the Internet Society submitted an amicus curiae brief urging the Supreme Court to hear the case and reverse this dangerous precedent. The Internet is not a luxury; it is essential infrastructure. Disconnecting users or entire organizations as a penalty for alleged copyright infringement is disproportionate and undermines the open Internet.

• Read the excellent blog post by John Perrino and João Aguiar
• For a deep dive into our arguments, read our full brief here
• View the brief on the SCOTUS site