Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group have teamed up to take legal action against Verizon, alleging the telecom giant has profited from copyright infringement. The lawsuit, filed under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, targets 17,335 tracks for which the labels are seeking up to $150,000 per violation, totaling a staggering $2.6 billion.
Since 2020, the labels claim Verizon has ignored over 350,000 infringement notices, with some subscribers reportedly receiving more than 20 notices without repercussions.
The lawsuit argues that Verizon’s purportedly lenient stance on copyright infringement, combined with its high-speed internet services ideal for peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing, facilitated an environment conducive to copyright violations. The labels contend that Verizon’s policies or lack thereof may have inadvertently encouraged subscribers to engage in unlawful activities.
“Infringing subscribers were drawn to Verizon’s services because of its relaxed approach to copyright infringement and fast internet speeds, which enabled easy use of P2P protocols,” the lawsuit alleges. It also accuses Verizon of disregarding legal obligations by neglecting the plaintiffs’ infringement notices.
The labels accuse Verizon of both contributory and vicarious copyright infringement, seeking maximum penalties for each violation cited, along with reimbursement for legal fees.
Verizon has not yet issued a public response to the lawsuit.
