According to CNN.com, the Supreme Court became sympathetic on Monday to an internet service provider that is in copyright battle with the music industry that some people warn could allegedly leave millions of Americans disconnected and turn companies that provide connectivity into “internet police.” At issue are peer-to-peer file-sharing protocols like BitTorrent that allow users to allegedly download pirated music.
The nation’s largest record labels are attempting to hold internet providers liable for alleged copyright infringement because they declined to cut off online access to users they knew were allegedly downloading bootlegged music. During nearly two hours of argument, the court appeared to be leaning toward the internet companies for narrow grounding. The practical implications of the music industry’s position, such as potentially disconnecting members of group internet accounts or throttling the speed on university campuses, appeared to give at least a few of the justices pause.
“I just don’t see how it’s workable at all,” Justice Samuel Alito, a member of the court’s conservative wing, said at one point. Cox Communications, an ISP that is appealing a ruling in favor of the music labels, warned the justices that making providers liable for the online conduct of customers would allegedly lead to a crackdown that would “yield mass evictions from the internet,” terminating connections at “homes, barracks, hospitals and hotels, upon bare accusation” of copyright infringement by creators.
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