Cox Communications, Inc. v. Sony Music Entertainment
Decided March 25, 2026. Clarence Thomas delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 24-171 · 607 U.S. ___ (2026)
Holding
Internet service provider Cox Communications neither induced its users’ infringement of copyrighted works nor provided a service tailored to infringement, and accordingly Cox is not contributorily liable for the infringement of Sony’s copyrights.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court. Read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 9–0.
Majority · 7
- John G. Roberts, Jr.
- Clarence Thomas · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Samuel A. Alito, Jr.
- Elena Kagan
- Neil M. Gorsuch
- Brett M. Kavanaugh
- Amy Coney Barrett
Concurring · 2
- Sonia Sotomayor · filed an opinion concurring in the judgment
- Ketanji Brown Jackson
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. The lineup is the syllabus’s disposition of who wrote and joined each opinion. Source: the opinion’s syllabus (supremecourt.gov).
Official text
Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)
The Court posted a revision on April 6, 2026; the link serves the current text.
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Clarence Thomas’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2026). Data last verified 2026-08-15. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).