Summary:
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Massive Lawsuit Filed: Major record labels including UMG, Warner, and Sony have filed a lawsuit against Verizon, accusing the ISP of allowing subscribers to download and share pirated music without taking sufficient action to stop them. Verizon is alleged to have ignored hundreds of thousands of copyright notices over several years.
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Allegations and Evidence: The labels claim that Verizon knowingly provided services to a large community of online pirates, with subscribers using BitTorrent to share copyrighted music. The complaint highlights persistent infringement and Verizon’s failure to address the issue, leading to continued piracy and financial gain for the ISP.
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Potential Liability: The lawsuit seeks maximum statutory damages of $150,000 per infringed work, with the list of alleged infringements spanning over 400 pages. The record labels argue that Verizon’s inaction constitutes willful contributory and vicarious infringement, potentially resulting in significant financial penalties for the ISP.
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