(Reuters) - A U.S. District Court jury on Thursday found telecom company Cox Communications Inc [COXC.UL] liable to pay $1 billion to music labels and publishers over piracy infringement on more than 10,000 works.
Over 50 music companies, including Sony Music, Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group, had filed a lawsuit in July 2018, accusing Cox of ignoring infringement notices and allowing repeat offenders to continue using its service by allegedly turning a blind eye to the practice.
"Cox received hundreds of thousands of notices of infringement and did not adequately respond or comply with its obligations to stop its subscribers from infringing on peer to peer networks," the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) said.
Cox described the liability amount as "unjust and excessive" and said it plans to appeal the ruling of the Virginia court.
"We provide customers with a powerful tool that connects to a world full of content and information. Unfortunately, some customers have chosen to use that connection for wrongful activity," the company added.
NMPA said the ruling will serve as a warning to organizations that allow users to share information illegally.