Altice USA Hit With New $1 Billion Copyright Lawsuit Over Alleged Subscriber Piracy
Warner Music, Sony Music, and their publishing units have filed a new copyright lawsuit against Altice USA, seeking over $1 billion in damages for alleged subscriber infringement between December 2020 and December 2023.
The lawsuit identifies nearly 170 pages of allegedly infringed recordings and compositions from artists including Ed Sheeran, Beyoncé, and Fleetwood Mac. The plaintiffs claim to have sent over 70,000 notices of file-sharing infringement to Altice between February 2020 and November 2023.
Altice office building exterior daytime
Key allegations against Altice USA include:
- Knowingly contributing to and profiting from subscriber infringement
- Failing to implement reasonable measures to prevent copyright violations
- Not terminating services of repeat infringers
- Attracting subscribers by allowing unrestricted file sharing
- Prioritizing profits over legal responsibilities
The plaintiffs seek maximum statutory damages of $150,000 per infringed work. This case joins several other music industry lawsuits against ISPs, including:
- A $46.8 million verdict against Grande Communications (2022)
- A $1 billion jury award against Cox Communications (2019)
- A separate action by Concord, Universal Music, and BMG against Altice
Altice logo against dark city skyline
Altice Building against blue sky
The case number is 2:23-cv-00576, with ongoing litigation expected as similar cases continue through the courts.
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