Altice USA faces a new $1 billion+ copyright lawsuit from major music labels Warner Music and Sony Music, along with their publishing divisions, over alleged subscriber piracy 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 they sent over 70,000 notices of file-sharing infringement to Altice between February 2020 and November 2023.

Key allegations against Altice USA include:

• Knowingly profiting from subscriber infringement
• Failing to implement reasonable preventive measures
• Not terminating services of repeat infringers
• Attracting subscribers by allowing unrestricted piracy

The plaintiffs seek maximum statutory damages of $150,000 per infringed work, potentially exceeding $1 billion in total damages. This case joins several other music industry lawsuits against ISPs, including:

• A $46.8 million verdict against Grande Communications (2022)
• A $1 billion verdict against Cox Communications (2019)
• A separate lawsuit by Concord, Universal Music, and BMG against Altice from the previous year

The lawsuit alleges that Altice prioritized corporate profits over legal responsibilities by failing to address repeated copyright violations by its subscribers.

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