Major record labels are urging a Texas federal court to uphold its $47 million piracy liability judgment against internet provider Grande Communications, following the ISP's appeal of a 2022 verdict that found them guilty of willful contributory copyright infringement.

The record labels, including Warner and Sony, submitted an 89-page response brief countering Grande's appeal. They argue that ISPs play a crucial role in addressing online piracy since they're the only ones who can identify subscribers through IP addresses.

Key Points of the Case:

• Grande allegedly ignored copyright infringement notifications and continued providing services to known repeat infringers
• The company terminated accounts of non-paying customers but took no action against copyright infringers
• This practice continued for nearly seven years, reportedly to maximize revenue
• Grande's defense relies heavily on the Twitter vs Tammneh ruling, claiming ISPs are distanced from user wrongdoing

The labels argue that Grande understood its legal obligations but consciously ignored them to maintain subscription fees from infringing users. They assert that applying the Twitter ruling to this copyright case would inappropriately alter contributory copyright infringement concepts.

If the original ruling is not upheld by the US Court of Appeals, the music companies plan to file a counter-appeal.

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