RCN Urges Court to Dismiss Major Labels' Piracy Lawsuit After Cox Precedent

Internet service provider RCN is asking a federal court in New Jersey to throw out a copyright infringement lawsuit brought by major record labels, citing the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling earlier this year, according to a report by TorrentFreak.

The legal action, which has been contested since 2019, represents one of the final remaining major piracy liability suits brought by music and film rightsholders against domestic broadband providers. Labels had long argued that internet companies should face secondary liability if they fail to disconnect subscribers accused of unauthorized file sharing.

## The Cox Precedent

In its motion for reconsideration, RCN argued that the Supreme Court's March decision overturning a billion-dollar verdict against Cox Communications dismantled the legal premise of the labels' claims. Under that precedent, an ISP does not commit contributory infringement merely by providing standard internet access to users who have been flagged for downloading copyrighted material.

According to RCN's filing cited by TorrentFreak, proving contributory liability now requires evidence that a network operator actively induced or encouraged infringement through specific actions, or that the service lacks substantial non-infringing uses. RCN maintains its position is virtually identical to the circumstances in the Cox litigation.

The company also challenged the labels' vicarious infringement claims, asserting that such liability demands proof that the service provider earned a direct financial benefit from the underlying piracy rather than collecting standard subscription fees.

## Industry Context

The motion underscores a swift recalibration across the entertainment and telecommunications sectors. For over a decade, music and film companies relied on contributory infringement threats to pressure internet providers into policing digital distribution channels. With higher legal hurdles now firmly established by the high court, rightsholders face diminishing leverage to enforce copyright compliance through third-party broadband infrastructure.