A federal court has ordered Altice USA to disclose the identities of up to 100 subscribers accused of copyright infringement by Warner Music Group (WMG) and Sony Music Entertainment (SME).

Under the court order, Altice must make reasonable efforts to notify affected subscribers about the planned disclosure of their personal information, including names, telephone numbers, addresses, and email addresses. Subscribers have 30 days to object before their information is released.

The case stems from allegations of repeated copyright infringement, involving nearly 11,000 allegedly infringed works. The discovery agreement comes after several legal hurdles, including:

• A previous settlement with BMG in a similar case
• Disputes over materials transfer from the BMG case
• Venue transfer attempts
• Dismissal efforts by Altice
• Debates over damages related to multiple recordings sharing copyright registrations

While Altice continues to "vigorously defend against the claims," as stated in their 2024 earnings report, the trial is tentatively scheduled for September 2025. This case parallels similar ongoing legal battles, including Verizon's defense against copyright claims from major labels and Cox Communications' appeal of a significant damages verdict.

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